Protocol I: Machibuse Hakuba
by Imya
Summary: While many dream about being recommended into U.A., Machibuse Hakuba stands on the other side of the spectrum: Being transferred to the Hero Course against his wishes. Is this a new beggining for a young hero or just another mission for a tired soldier? Arts for the story are on my deviantart page.
1. Prologue: Recommendation?

_**Been quite a while since I wrote something. So yeah, here we go (?)**_

 _ **DISCLAIMER: My Hero Academia is property of Kohei Horikoshi. I own nothing but the OCs.**_

 **Four days ago, February 20th, Okinawa Military Academy, 0930.**

 _Silence filled the room for a brief moment, only to be broken by the sounds of gunfire that could be heard faintly though the supposed soundproof window. Target practice, heavy artillery drills. In the middle of the room stood a teenager dressed in military uniform, both hands behind his back. Two people were leaving the room as he waited for privacy to speak with his superior._

" _I don't really see the point of this transference, Sir." spoke the soldier a few seconds after the double doors behind him were closed shut._

" _Soldier…" started the man sitting behind the large wooden desk, late in his fifties and bearing many accolades across his uniform. A brief pause and a short sigh dismissed the usual formalities that normally filled that room "Machibuse-san, I'd be lying to you if I said that I understand the complete thought process behind this decision. This decision however is not mine to make, and as much as I'd like to take a different approach to the issue at hand or just push it aside altogether, I can see the reasoning for it."_

" _Permission to break protocol, Sir?"_

" _Granted." The older man waved._

" _Well, I fucking don't." growled the teen._

" _The decision is final." stated the man, his authority tainted by annoyance as he handed out an envelope to his subordinate. "Don't ever lose this package, there is a lot in there... I've already made sure your recommendation to U.A. was received, there is a copy of it in there, alongside U.A.'s response. There is also some paperwork for you to fill on the airplane, about your housing in Tokyo and some nonsense about a costume."_

" _Thank you, Sir." Machibuse bowed as he took the package. Refusing to open the offending envelope until absolutely needed, Machibuse just stared at it blankly for a moment, mentally sighing in acceptance._

" _I'll have someone pick you up in three hours, should be enough for you to bag your stuff before heading to the airport. Dismissed."_

-.

 **Current day, February 24th, Machibuse Residence, 1145**

"I still don't fucking get it." the teen said out loud. He had spent the last ten or so minutes laying in bed looking at the celling. If anything good came from this transference nonsense it was the fact that for the first time in years he had been allowed to be lazy. No buzzers or people screaming to keep him from sleeping until his back started to ache or his appetite needed to be satisfied. The fresh breeze coming through the blinders was also nice, as he had never been fond of Okinawa's tropical climate.

"Get your ass moving Hakuba… Just pretend that this is some sort of assignment from the Major…" he lied to himself, lazily rolling of the mattress into the floor. Good thing he hadn't bothered with assembling the bed… or most of the furniture for that matter. This however created another issue, space. Lack of, more precisely. His apartment was already small, and the ten or so boxes of varying sizes scattered about made the situation even worse. Specially whenever he needed to stretch and perform his morning routine of exercises.

At least the bathroom was in decent shape; no boxes, no clutter and sporting a mostly organized sink.

Cold water ran through his light hair and lightly tanned skin, jolting the teen awake for good. A few extra minutes were spent dozing off, lost in the mysteries of the universe and on the sudden interest to read the shampoo bottle. Resigned to his fate he then left the shower and proceeded to gear himself for the day to come.

Plain white shirt, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, black trackpants and the brand-new white running shoes. They were cheap running shoes, but brand-new nonetheless. His bag was already prepared, pencils and such stored safely since the last night.

Cellphone? Check.

Wallet? Check.

Keys? Check.

Something to eat on the go? _*ding*_ Check. He had no clue who invented the microwave but praised be his or her soul.

"Mother, father… I'm out to become a… hero? Something like that… wish me luck." He said down the hallway as he stepped outside. _"Me, a hero… didn't see that one coming."_ He mused, a small, childish smile gracing his lips for a moment before he pushed that thought aside, deciding to rather focus on his breakfast.

 **-.**

 **February 24th, U.A. Highschool Entrance, 1300.**

A wide, blue gate welcomed Machibuse to the prestigious U.A. Highschool, and it was a sight to behold. The main building was massive, covered in pristine blue glass that reflected sky above. Many other buildings could be seen as he walked alongside a small group of about fifty people, most aspirants like him, guided by two U.A. staff members. Pro-heroes he assumed since they were sporting very distinctive costumes: One, a male, dressed in old-western garbs, with a wide brimmed leather hat to top the cowboy motif. The second one was a female, dressed in a skin-tight bodysuit that left very little to the imagination. She also apparently made a point to walk swaying her hips with every step and to give provoking looks back to her entourage every so often. Unnecessary? Maybe. Unwelcome? Absolutely not.

The candidates were taken to a massive auditorium and given numbered tags, sheets of paper were laid upon the tables. Doing as instructed the crowd began to sit down and as soon as they were comfortable the lights turned off. Machibuse was from this point forward "Candidate 32".

"Welcome everyone! It's me your soon-to-be principal! Nezu!" greeted a diminute, very well dressed and groomed figure. "Is that a dog or a bear?" he asked nonchalantly to himself, Machibuse raised a brow.

"Very well, as you can see by the size of the auditorium, you can guess that you are the few lucky candidates to have prime access to the U.A. Recommendation Entrance Exam. In two days we expect this very room to be filled to the brim with hopeful young souls fighting for a place in this school." Said principal Nezu, gesturing to the many empty seats. "Your exam will be divided into three tests: A written exam, yes, the one in your tables right now; a physical exam that will allow us to see your Quirks in action; and finally, a private interview with me!"

"Now get on with the written part! You have until 2pm to finish!"

-.

 **February 24th, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, 1430.**

While not terribly difficult, the written test was certainly not a walk in the park as evident by the number of candidates. Of the forty-six candidates, nine had not achieved enough points and fifteen failed to complete the test within the limit time. There were no clocks in the auditorium, and no one actually informed the candidates that the time had expired. A trap that was only revealed when the first candidate that failed to meet the deadline had his paper refused.

The remaining twenty-two candidates now waited their turns to take the second part of the exam, a test of speed and agility. Some people were clearly on the edge, expecting a trap like the one on the previous exam. Machibuse now had the opportunity to interact with the other candidates, or at least observe them since small talk was a little out of place. Most of the candidates were silent, watching the times of the others. Most of them were silent… unfortunately one obnoxious fellow decided that this was the perfect time to attempt new friendships. "Candidate 41" was tall, buzz cut black hair and very, very loud. Luckily for Machibuse, this "Candidate 41" was called out to the race track just as he walked in Machibuse's direction with a broad smile on his face.

As inconvenient as he was, "Candidate 41" destroyed the exam alongside a shorter candidate that had two-colored hair and a pretty unsightly scar on his face. What followed however was, to Machibuse's surprise, silence… something went sour during the race by the looks of it.

No time to think however, his name was called to the track. His was the last group to race, only four candidates instead of six. They weren't allowed to intervene with one another, so it didn't matter really. Running alongside him were two very bland males and one very charming female: tall, spiked ponytail and very short on clothing. She had been the first one to finish the written test, and by a considerable amount of time.

Machibuse took of his shoes as everyone got in position, earning a calling from the pro in charge of announcing the races.

"Hey kiddo, you might want to keep these!" boomed the voice over what Machibuse presumed to be a speaker.

"They are brand new, Sir. Don't want them ruined." The teen replied, straightening his back and putting his hands behind his body. Old habits die hard.

"Your call…" the pro shrugged from his booth.

The race was over as quickly as it started. Machibuse had his feet planted on the ground, unseen weapons piercing the dirt to provide maximum traction, dashing of in an instant the second he heard the bell. He had quickly left the other three behind. He wasn't the first one to reach the finish line however, he had run about eighty percent of the track when a loud boom came from behind.

The female runner apparently had shoot herself from a cannon, beating him to the finish line by about a second and a half. Her landing could've been better, but all things considered, she had won.

"Permission to break protocol, ma'am?" he asked, offering her a helping hand.

"What?" she replied confused her eyes meting his blank expression and taking his hand "Sure?" she half-answered finally, just as she got back on her feet.

"The fuck was that about?"

-.

 **February 24th, U.A. Highschool Main Building, 1600.**

The number of candidates went from twenty-two all the way down to six after the physical exam, and immediately down to five as the previously high strung "Candidate 41" refused to continue and left alongside those who failed. The interview phase continued regardless; all the five received a sheet of paper to fill and were to enter the room in front of them one by one.

 **Name:** Machibuse Hakuba

 **Birthday:** January 8th

 **Age:** 15

 **Height:** 171cm (5'5'')

 **Blood Type:** AB+

 **Birthplace:** Okinawa Prefecture

 **Quirk Type:** Mutant

 **Quirk Name:** Chelicerae

 **Short Quirk Description:** Capable of absorbing and synthesizing biological and chemical payloads. Born with short, injector-like fangs on certain joints that can be used as melee weapons and delivery method.

The last question clearly made Machibuse take his time, as pointed out by Yaoyorozu Momo.

"Is it that hard to sum it up, Machibuse-san?" she questioned, her voice bearing a mix of impatience and curiosity.

"It is very sensitive information, Yaoyorozu-san. I'm sorry for the delay." Hakuba answered flatly, bowing slightly as he delivered the information sheet to the blond pro-hero that oversaw the physical exam and was now in charge of them five while the principal did his job. At this point Present Mic gestured for one of them to enter the room, the first one to volunteer being a girl with dark green hair.

Yaoyorozu raised a finely trimmed eyebrow. Over the couple of minutes they had to talk during the track between the Training Grounds and their current location she picked up a few things about the 32th candidate: He came from a military academy in Okinawa and was partaking in the exam because he was recommended by someone big in the army; he had a very weird speech pattern, where he would speak very formally most of the time, but would ask for permission to "break the protocol" to make sarcastic remarks, speaking like a street thug more often than not; and that he had a mutant type Quirk that acted as a puncturing weapon.

"I explained my Quirk to you, didn't I? Let's keep the playing field even." She requested politely.

"Information is the strongest weapon, Yaoyorozu-san. And playing fair was never one of my priorities." Machibuse retorted with a straight face. Another one of the candidates, the one with a skull-like face gave a hearty laugh as he entered the interview room.

"Sorry, ma'am." a cheesy grin soon appeared on Hakuba's lips as he took a short breath.

"My Quirk, Chelicerae, is on the more straightforward side actually. My body synthesizes toxins at rapid pace, and I can load the chemicals into these…" he flexed his hand open, causing four curved spikes of dark brown color to spring from his palm, all four around one inch long and visibly linked to a sac-like organ that pulsated softly inside his hand "…my Chelicerae are strong enough to dig into concrete if I get my back into doing so. I have four in each hand and feet, as well a few others scattered around, like on the back of my knees of along my spine."

At this point in time, the teen with two-colored hair stood up and entered the room. Silent as ever.

"However…" Machibuse continued as soon as the door was closed "…I cannot produce venom like a spider. I need to have a sample of what I intend to produce in my system. The only chemicals that I'm able to synthesize from zero are hormones and neurotransmitters that any male human is capable of producing. For example, I can pump someone's adrenaline through the roof in order to keep the target fighting for longer, force the target's thyroidal hormones to build up causing fever and even get people high on dopamine. Regardless of whether what I synthesized is something I can naturally produce or if it's based on something external the payload's effects only last about one hour at maximum after leaving the sacs, after that the chemicals become too unstable and start to break apart."

Yaoyorozu absorbed the information, watching as the chelicerae sprung back into his palm, leaving only thin slithers in his skin. Mutant type Quirks had a panache for looking disturbing upon close inspection, but his took the cake, at least from all the mutations she ever seen up close…

"Looks I'm up next." Machibuse said, interrupting her train of thought as he stood up and bowed "Glad to meet you ma'am, hope we both succeed."

She nodded confident. "We sure will."

-.

 **February 24th, U.A. Highschool Main Building, Interview Room, 1625.**

"Ah, Machibuse-san! Glad to see that you've made this far!" Principal Nezu said excitedly, gesturing the teen to come closer. "I'm also glad you managed to keep the Quirk description to a minimum, yours is quite a complex one from what I've heard" the principal continued, looking in the direction Yaoyorozu was "My ears are quite good, you know."

Machibuse stifled a laugh, he was told from early age to not speak much of his Quirk, so now that he had a chance to talk about it he spoke a little too much.

"Happy to oblige, Sir." he said, bowing very slightly.

"Now, now, no need for that! Let us proceed with the interview!" the diminutive principal began. "Machibuse Hakuba, do you know why you are here?"

That was a very ample question, Hakuba was well aware that he was in that room because of his performance during the exam. But that wasn't what Principal Nezu wanted to hear.

"No Sir, I'm not." he said, keeping his back straight and hands firmly behind it.

"Ah very well!" Nezu cheered "Now for the final question!"

" _Well that was… quick?"_ the teen thought, keeping a straight face.

"Machibuse Hakuba, why do you want to become a hero?"

…

..

.

 _ **AN: If you want a good description of what the Chelicerae Quirk looks like, just mix a spiders fangs with Shuko hand claws and Ashiko foot spikes (shinobi climbing gear)  
**_

 _ **UPDATE: As of 21/05/2019 (about five months and 34 chapters into this story) I have finally drawn Hakuba not wearing his hero outfit, just check my profile picture for it. If I ever change said picture I will make sure to update this chapter with a link to the drawing.**_


	2. Heroism

**February 24th, U.A. Highschool Main Building, Interview Room, 1627.**

"Machibuse Hakuba, why do you want to become a hero?"

The principal's question hit Hakuba with much more force than it would to any other of the candidates. It was such a simple question, anybody could just have claimed to be inspired by All Might, Endeavor or any other hero and it would be a reasonable answer. Claiming interest in hero work for financial reasons or just to be allowed to use one's Quirk without complete regulation from the law also made sense.

But then again, Hakuba had no justification. He could not really see himself as a hero, at least not since his decision to follow in his parents' footsteps and become a soldier.

"Sir, is this a question posed to all candidates during this part of the exam?" the teen asked, keeping his posture, a mix of curiosity and worry hidden behind his strict military tone. If anything, Hakuba hoped to buy some time to think.

"Hey hey, I'm the one asking the questions here Machibuse-san!" the principal laughed off. "All five of you to reach this far have already secured a place in the Hero Course, this interview is more of an excuse for me to congratulate you personally… However, as it was the case with Todoroki-san, I wanted to see how you reacted to this question."

Hakuba assumed Todoroki to be de one with the scar, for the third male to come this far, the one that looked like a skull, had introduced himself as Honenuki Juzo earlier. Machibuse wondered what could've brought the principal's attention to question Todoroki as well.

"I am well aware of what you can do, Machibuse-san…" Nezu interrupted his thoughts with a more concerned voice "…we, the school board, had a meeting regarding your accomplishments during your time in the military academy and how that would impact your transference."

"Then you are aware that I am not hero material, Sir." Hakuba responded, his shoulders slumping slightly.

"You want to protect people, don't you?" the principal questioned, looking the teen in front of him dead in the eyes.

"Yes, Sir." he said without a second thought.

"That is all I wanted to hear!" Nezu's upbeat tone was now back "Welcome to the Hero Course!"

Machibuse was surprised by the sudden shift "T-thank you, Sir!" he stuttered, bowing sharply with his hands by his sides. Regardless of his very unsure stance on becoming a hero, part of him still felt pride in the fact that he had made into U.A.

Principal Nezu gestured towards another door in the room "The others are waiting alongside professor Power Loader. He will take you guys to the Development Studio to discuss about the gear you requested."

The teen now recently turned U.A. student bowed again, turning towards the door as the principal spoke again.

"You have not read the recommendation that was submitted for you neither our response to it, haven't you?" Nezu shoot as he poured himself a cup of tea.

"… I have not, Sir." Machibuse admitted embarrassed, quickly returning to his position as the principal took a sip.

The principal resumed in a serious voice "It was your mother who requested your transference… you might want to read those papers. But not now, give yourself time."

Hakuba was taken aback, how could've his mother push such a decision on him?

"Dismissed soldier! Miss Yaoyorozu is waiting her turn!" Nezu spoke again while performing a mock military salute.

Machibuse could only stifle his laughter as he left the room.

-.

 **February 24th, U.A. Highschool Development Studio, 1715.**

"Your costume is fine, we already have sent the design to an appropriate company… You will need a permit from the school for this though." Power Loader said, not very amused. Not by the request he received, it was a very ingenious idea. What bothered him was the paperwork he'd need to go through in order to deliver what had been requested.

"Very well, I'll have the form filled and delivered by tomorrow morning, Sir." Hakuba said, clearly as dismayed as the teacher in front of him.

"No need to rush it so much, you are likely not going to be able to come here tomorrow to deliver it because we will be setting the entrance exam." Power Loaded said with a heavy sigh.

"Come back on the day of the exam, it will be crowded but if you speak to someone from the school they will allow you to come here or at least to wherever I might be. It may take a while for your request to approved though. And no need to call me "sir", you are part of U.A. now, I am your teacher." he added.

"Thank you, Si… Thank you, sensei." the teen bowed after standing up. He then proceeded to call Yaoyorozu's attention, it was her turn to speak about her gear with Power Loader. She was studying the various pieces of equipment scattered across the studio while waiting. The other three students have already left, as they decided to follow the same order they previously created for the interviews.

Honenuki Juzo and Tokage Setsuna were pleasing enough, the latter being more talkative while the former was more reserved, good company overall during the walk from the interview room to the studio's location, the news of being accepted into U.A. got everyone's spirits up… everyone but Todoroki's. The guy was a whole new low in the book. Hakuba felt as if he had more productive discussions with the boxes in his apartment. He seemed to take even eye contact as a challenge and showed no interest in anything whatsoever, no wonder the principal wanted to have a talk with him.

"Fine, I will cover my back." Yaoyorizu said resigned as she got up and thanked Power Loader for his time.

Yaoyorozu Momo quickly became his favorite amongst their little group. Level-headed and very honest, she had a visibly strong sense of duty and leadership. She was also proved very fun to tease, as demonstrated by Tokage causing her to stammer when commenting on her more revealing choice of attire for the exam. Her Quirk would rip her clothing apart, so, logicaly, she decided to keep her skin exposed. A logical choice that Machibuse and Honenuki silently agreed upon purely for logical reasons when they looked at each other during Yaoyorozu's explanation,

"Oh Machibuse-san, you waited for me." Yaoyorozu spoke as she approached, calling Hakuba back to reality. She was visibly inconvenienced by the short talk she had with Power Loader.

"…Hmm! Yes, ma'am." Hakuba turned, lying as he quickly assumed his usual stance, back straightened and arms behind it.

"You are a very bad lair." she said bluntly rising an eyebrow.

"Indeed I am. I'm sorry ma'am, I was actually spacing out." Machibuse responded. He was a terrible lair, but his ability to keep a straight face and speak strictly during any situation was impeccable.

"Well, walk me to the station at least, will you?" Yaoyorozu said, laughing as she stepped out of the studio.

Hakuba allowed himself to chuckle as he followed, walking besides her.

-.

 **February 24th, Machibuse Residence, 1900.**

Hakuba shifted through the news on his cellphone, bored as he waited for his rice to finish cooking. He did prefer to watch the news on television, but life taught him that rice would instantaneously overcook the moment he stepped away from the kitchen. The news about U.A.'s regular entrance exam were common on the internet, as were rumors about Japan's number one hero, All Might, joining the school's board of teachers this year. Hakuba never built a solid opinion on All Might, he couldn't deny that the hero was absolutely amazing at what he did, but, as the sixth generation of a military family, he knew that the "Symbol of Peace" was just that, a symbol, and all the evil that All Might kept at bay would build up. Whatever heroes came after All Might had their work cut for them, and Hakuba was set up to be one of them.

Sighing as he turned off the heat, after popping a bow of curry, leftovers from yesterday's dinner, into his beloved microwave Hakuba proceeded to his room, stepping over a box on the narrow hallway. The envelope he had received was on top of a large, unopened box containing his actual desk, ready to be assembled and used but box would suffice for now. He had only dealt with the envelope on his flight to Tokyo, only bothering with the papers he had to fill.

He stood still for a while, pondering whether or not to read his mother's request. The principal had told him to wait and not read them for a while, and that had him even more confused. The package was pretty heavy for actually...

Hakuba would not ask his mother about it. She would not give him an answer anyway.

Curiosity tempted him, laziness and the principal's suggestion deterred him. In the end what decided that the envelope's contents should remain unread was the microwave beeping.

-.

 **February 26th Express to U.A. Highschool, 1115.**

A lazy yawn escaped Hakuba's mouth. He wanted to make it to U.A. before the crowd arrived but had no such luck as apparently every candidate had the same idea. The written exam only started at 1200 and yet the transport was filled to the brim with hopeful candidates. Pressed with his back against his was probably the most inconvenient of the lot: green hair, a few centimeters shorter than Hakuba himself, his knuckles white as he gripped the strap of his bag. He was obviously nervous, and Hakuba could not blame him for that, after all he had been admitted through a much easier exam. Hakuba however could blame his incessant muttering for his mild migraine and far from stellar mood.

He opened his mouth wide again, the previous yawn caused a pair of chelicerae into his upper mandible to spring out just next to the jaw hinge, they would retract if he closed his mouth, but it felt weird to speak with them at ready.

"Can you please stop?" Machibuse asked as politely as he could, turning only his head towards the source of his annoyance since the crowd prevented him from turning properly.

"E-eehhh!" the greenhead stammered in panic, he likely hadn't even noticed what he was doing "S-s-sorry!" he said as he attempted to turn towards Machibuse and bow but stopped once he bumped into someone else.

"…Calm down." Machibuse sighed as he watched the young man at his back apologize to whoever he had bumped into.

" _Fuck I'm bad at this shit…"_ Hakuba thought as the now less frightened teen turned his gaze to him.

"You are way too nervous to do this properly, you will end up messing your hand up before the exam even starts." he said, directing his eyes to the white knuckles still grasping for the strap as if it were a lifeline.

"What's your name?" Machibuse asked, perhaps some small talk would keep this fellow from having a heart attack and keep him from getting too bored. Hakuba had forgotten to charge his phone overnight and watching the window got pretty uninteresting pretty fast.

"M-Midoriya." he still stuttered, as he relaxed his grip.

"Machibuse. Pleased to meet you."

-.

 **February 26th, U.A. Highschool Entrance, 1150.**

"OUT OF THE WAY TRASH!" someone ordered from behind Machibuse and Midoriya.

"M-Morning Kacchan, le-le-let's do our b-best!" Midoriya fumbled his words as he stepped aside as if by instinct.

"You will die in there, Deku!" he spat.

As Hakuba turned to see what just happened he ended up standing in the direct path of this so called Kacchan by accident, forcing him to stop.

"WANNA DIE FUCKER!?" he shouted again. Hakuba was sure he'd seen Kacchan's face somewhere in the news over the last year. He squinted his eyes, forcing himself to remember.

"You deaf or something!? Move. Out." the blonde continued his assault while Hakuba remained focused. Then it clicked.

"I remember you from the news. You are the one taken hostage by that slime villain, am I correct? Bakugo?" Machibuse asked, unfazed by all the shouting thanks to his years in the military academy.

That clearly hit a sore spot. Bakugo glared daggers at the teen that stood in his way, leaving an unspoken death treat as he walked around the roadblock.

"Thank you for helping me, Machibuse-san" Midoriya said, looking at the ground as they walked to the entrance. Seemed like he calmed down for the moment.

"You are welcome." Machibuse nodded in response. He was pretty sure that Midoriya would have another fit soon enough, but they would have hopefully taken their separate ways.

"Umm… Machibuse-san?" Midoriya called, looking at the taller teen's back "I could not help but notice that you did not bring a bag, you know that there is a written exam, right?"

"Oh…" Hakuba realized that he was the only one not carrying a bag of some sort while heading towards the exam site.

"I already took the exam, two days ago to be precise. I am here just to return some papers." he explained.

Midoriya stopped dead in his tracks, some incredulous look on his face. He opened his mouth but took a moment to actually speak.

"T-t-the Recommendation Entrance Exam!?" he began stuttering again as Machibuse turned to face him. "W-what hero gave you the latter!?" he asked nervously, walking towards Machibuse.

A little too excited for his own good, Midoriya could not keep himself from stumbling his feet. The ground likely to reach Midoriya's face before Hakuba could prevent his fall.

And yet the ground never reached the teenager's face. He simply stopped mid fall. A girl about Midoriya's height had managed to touch his back and was now helping him to regain his footing. Round eyes and rosy cheeks, brown hair that reached her shoulders and a very warm smile. Adorable.

Midoriya's face lit like a beacon as she spoke to him about how falling down would be a really bad omen before such an important exam. She then left with a very enthusiastic step, leaving poor Midoriya with his mouth open.

Hakuba took the opportunity to part ways with the stunned teen, bowing before Midoriya could recover and ask more questions that were better left unanswered for the moment.

"I'll also take my leave Midoriya-san. Good luck on the exam."

-.

 **February 26th, U.A. Highschool Surveillance Room, 1235**

It took a few minutes of searching for Hakuba to find someone to point him out to Power Loaders current location, and more than a few minutes do convince the staff that he wasn't there for today's exam nor cheating. The man looked like he just got out of bed, and that he hasn't slept enough even if he really just got out of bed. Regardless of his sleeping schedule, the man called out Power Loader via radio to confirm and pointed Hakuba towards the Surveillance Room, which Hakuba was grateful for.

He was actually greeted by principal Nezu himself, who introduced him to the staff members in the room. There were a great deal of pros in the room, amongst them were Power Loader, Snipe and Midnight, as lovely as ever; three of the four teachers he met during the Recommendation Exam. It was safe to assume that Present Mic was in a booth somewhere else preparing to narrate the event.

All Might himself was also present, although not in his hero outfit, instead wearing a business suit that barely contained his massive frame.

"Young Machibuse!" his voice boomed, Hakuba could tangibly feel his power in every word.

"We spoke a great deal about you! It is most unusual to have a student in this room but come, watch the exam! Some of these brave candidates will be your classmates!" All Might's smile got wider as he gestured the teen to come closer

Machibuse, bowed deeply before nervously entering the room. He could feel that all eyes were on him as he made his way to Power Loader and gave him a letter containing the form he requested.

"Principal, I have something to discuss with you after we are done here." Power Loaded spoke, waving the paper nonchalantly.

"Very well. Now, Machibuse-san, get yourself comfortable, there is still sometime before the physical exam starts." Principal Nezu said as he sat down with his cup of tea.

"Oh and please inform us if you spot anyone cheating during the written exam! Consider this your first assignment in the Hero Course!" he added, turning his attention to the monitors in the room.

-.

 **February 26th, U.A. Highschool Surveillance Room, 1328.**

MIDORIYA IZUKU: ZERO POINTS GAINED, ZERO POINTS TOTAL

Machibuse could not believe what he had just seen. The boy from earlier, short, scared Midoriya was a fucking madman. No better words could describe the scene that just unfolded.

From what Hakuba picked up, the exam was a search and destroy mission. Robotic targets were worth from one to three points and the candidates would be tasked with scoring as many points as possible within ten minutes. Simple enough.

The catch however was the existence of a single robot in each exam site worth no points at all. What Hakuba didn't see coming was that the zero-pointer was a military grade weapon as tall as a building.

And fucking Midoriya just obliterated one of those things in a single punch.

He had visibly broken limbs after his moment of glory and was only saved from certain death because the same girl he'd met at the entrance broke his fall with her Quirk. Pros in the surveillance room cheered, some less than others, but no one remained passive about Midoriya's feat.

All Might went absolutely ballistic, proclaiming that what they had just seen was the showing of a true hero to no one's disagreement. The purest form of heroism, Midoriya threw everything away; his safety, his chance to earn points in the exam, his objective, and almost his life.

Then it dawned on Machibuse, it was another trap hidden in the entrance exams: The points.

True heroes had no reason to be selfish, the points were just something to pick up on those capable of fighting. The computer registering the points was more than capable of keeping track of those. The pros in the surveillance room were on the lookout for a hero's behavior amongst the candidates.

Principal Nezu was quick to notice Hakuba's expression changing from surprised to understanding. His quick plan to show the recommended student what it meant to be a hero had worked out much better than he expected.

"Machibuse-san! I hope you enjoyed the show!" the principal called out, immediately gaining Hakuba's total attention.

"I will speak with professor Power Loader after we deliberate on the results of todays exam, but for now I must ask for you to leave, we can't have a meeting regarding the candidates results with you present." Nezu continued as he walked towards his new student.

"Of course, Sir! Thank you all for having me!" Machibuse once again bowed in respect before leaving the room.

He then stopped just as he reach for the door.

"Permission to break protocol, Sir?"

"Yes soldier." The principal teased.

"…I happened to meet Midoriya-san on the way to the campus. He is much more worthy to be in this school than I am, yet he had no points in the entrance exam and seemed badly injured after what just happened." Hakuba questioned, worry visible for a moment after he spoke.

"Midoriya-san is gonna be ok, right?" he finished, his eyes meeting the floor for a moment before turning to the principal once more.

His only response was a single, sincere, nod, after which the principal ushered him out gently.

Machibuse Hakuba left with a true smile in his face.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: And there we have it, took me a while to figure it out how I would get Hakuba to deal with Izuku's first Smash, but I guess it worked out in the end**_


	3. One day at UA

**March 3rd, Machibuse Residence, 0700.**

As much as Hakuba complained about his last few days being barren and monotonous, he surely was going to miss the glee of waking up whenever he pleased. His cellphone ringed furiously on top of his desk-box as the device's vibrations were amplified by the cardboard container. Truly a symphony coming from the depths of hell itself, it had not crossed his mind that the ringing alarm would turn his boxes against him.

One week had passed since the U.A. Exam, one week with barely nothing to do besides unboxing and assembly, a task Hakuba clearly gave up less than halfway through. He had managed to install the ceiling fan on his room and assemble his bed on the first few days but looked like more boxes had spawned after his initial struggles.

It was his first day at school. He needed to get up. He did not need to enjoy the process however, so he made a point to complain as much as possible as he got up and made his way to the bathroom, some of his chelicerae lazily poking out of his skin as he stretched.

A good cold shower helped him to get going. He didn't exactly have a choice on the matter of temperature, since he still hadn't bothered with properly hooking up the showerhead to the wiring. He stopped in front of the mirror as he dried his hair, he'd bought some off-brand hair gel a few days ago, figuring that starting out on a new school with his usual mess of a hairdo would be bad. He then proceeded to store said gel in the cabinet, if he started out with his hair all nice and pompous he would not be allowed to skip out on it ever without looking lazy. Messy hair it is, although Hakuba had de decency to at least comb it down somewhat.

He then proceeded back to his room, stepping over the hallway box. He wasn't even sure of what actually was inside that box, but he would have remembered by now if it was something important. U.A. had provided him with the uniforms, two sets of both the school uniform and PE uniform. He stored one of the PE uniform is his bag and dressed himself in the standard school clothing. Hakuba skipped on the red tie however, opting for displaying his dog tags instead. He was always given the choice of either wearing them with or without a tie back in Okinawa, so it was probably fine to ditch the red cloth strangling him.

Breakfast was prepared and consumed in silence. With nothing noteworthy on the television, Hakuba had it turned on but muted, just as a way to keep his eyes busy for the time being. The dishes were left unwashed in the sink as he turned off the silent television.

"Mother, father… I'm off." Hakuba spoke as he approached the door without a response.

"I still don't get what drove you to push me this way, but I am here already so at least I will try my best."

-.

 **March 3rd, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 0840.**

Hakuba's journey to the school grounds were uneventful, he decided to walk from the station instead of taking the shuttle to U.A., as the damn thing seemed to be always crowded. It wasn't a very long track, but the road uphill was not inviting and the sun shining in his eyes made it even less so. Once inside the campus Hakuba was quick to find where he was supposed to go, as signs had been placed to guide the new students.

He now found himself facing a massive wooden door, the class number painted on it matching the one on his student ID. One last lazy sigh gave way to his usual military composure as he pushed the door open.

The eyes in the class turned to him, about ten people were already in there. Seven males, two females… and a floating female uniform. The last one perked his curiosity. Two familiar faces were found in the crowd, Yaoyorozu Momo and, much to his dislike, Todoroki Shouto. Either Tokage or Honenuki would have filled that seat much better.

"Machibuse Hakuba, Okinawa Military Academy, pleased to make your acquaintance." he offered with a sharp bow to dismiss the awkward silence that entered the room alongside him.

"Oh, military?" mused a blond male with a large tail.

"You are from the Ryukyu Islands? That's so cool!" the floating uniform spoke in a bubbly tone. Machibuse could not see her face, but he was positive that her eyes were sparkling as she thought about the sub-tropical weather that he despised.

Another male rushed to Hakuba, his movements almost mechanical as he kept himself from running. He was taller than Hakuba by a fair margin, sported neatly combed hair and rectangular glasses that fitted his rectangular face. He quickly eyed at Hakuba's lack of a tie but assumed this to be some sort of procedure since he introduced himself as someone from a military academy and wore dog tags.

"Iida Tenya, Soumei Junior High, pleased to meet you my friend." He offered his hand, speaking in a manner so formal that had even Hakuba thinking back on how people perceived his own persona.

His poker face persevered however as he shook Iida's hand. He could spot Yaoyorozu smirking softly on the corner of his field of view. Hakuba had been beaten at his own game, this Iida fellow was a natural whereas he could only pretend.

One by one the others were introduced, Ojiro Machirao was the one with the tail, Hagakure Toru the floating uniform. Ashido Mina, the pink skinned female, happily introduced herself and one of the males who went by Koda Koji, the tall, rock faced individual didn't speak but gave a shy wave. The others were Kaminari Denki, Sero Hanta and Mineta Minoru.

This last one eyed Machibuse very closely as Yaoyorozu came closer.

"Machibuse-san, good to see you again." she spoke politely, a soft smile on her lips.

"Seems like you will have to deal with me a while longer, ma'am." Machibuse joked, his flat tone and expression unchanged as he greeted his now classmate.

The others seemed confused by the exchange, either by Machibuse's apparent humor seeping into his strictness or by the fact the both students already knew each other.

"We took the Entrance Exam together. He is not all that bad." Yaoyorozu explained.

"So we got three out of the five students from the Recommendation Exam, eh?" Kaminari asked to no one in particular as other students entered the room. One of them however was another familiar face.

" _Oh good God, first you gifted me with Todoroki and now this? How amusing my suffering must be to you."_

"Make way you goons!" Bakugo ordered as he walked past the other students towards an empty seat on the far corner of the classroom, that he promptly claimed to himself.

"Remove your feet from the desk! Such an action is insulting to those who came to U.A. before us as well to the craftsman who made the desk!" Iida bellowed to the insulting teenager as he approached his desk.

" _Fucking hell Iida, don't give him a reason to speak more than he already does…"_ Hakuba mentally facepalmed, he could foresee that the two would bicker every day for the next three years. He then placed a hand on Yaoyorozu's shoulder, she seemed unsure whether or not to act.

"Don't. It's not worth the effort, ma'am." Machibuse told her, his usual stoic facade giving out ever so slightly.

"Like I care. What middle school are you from you extra?" Bakugo retorted back at his classmate.

On a perfect timing, Midoriya Izuku opened the door, his face drained of color as he watched the scene from the doorway. Seeing that Midoriya had made into the same class as himself was a good prospect.

"Somei!? A stuck-up elitist, then? I should blow you to bits." Bakugo stated, drawing Hakuba's attention to their bickering once again. Iida was taken aback but quickly dismissed the conversation as he saw Midoriya, moving to introduce himself to the short teen that still had not decided to enter the classroom.

Iida then spoke to Midoriya about how he had misjudged him previously and how he had deciphered the entrance exam. If by deciphered Iida meant "attempted suicide", then yes, Midoriya had definitely done so.

Bakugo's reaction to Midoriya's presence was very unusual as well. While everyone had already understood that the blonde's temperament was far from ideal, Midoriya visibly tilted him further.

" _And now we just need Midoriya's little guardian angel and we are set."_ Hakuba thought as he walked to his desk. Noting that he was to sit right besides Todoroki he resigned to the fact that at least he wasn't next to Bakugo.

"Ah! That curly hair!" a soft female voice came through the door. Hakuba just took his seat, he felt that he was done for the day.

Poor Midoriya seemed absolutely uncapable of dealing with this girl without lighting up. Well, Hakuba couldn't blame him all that much really.

"If you are here to socialize then get out." Another voice came out the corridor. It was a voice Hakuba was sure to have heard before, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. A quick headcount ensured him that it wasn't another student, there were twenty desks, and Midoriya and his rosy cheeked friend brought the number of students to twenty as well.

Everybody froze as a yellow sleeping bag made its way to the front desk, someone cocooned inside it.

" _This fucking day just keeps on giving, doesn't it?"_ he thought. He recognized the man in the sleeping bag as the one staff member that guided him to the Surveillance Room on the day of the regular exam. He also remembered that this fellow, while helpful, had proven to be very inconvenient to deal with.

"It took you all eight seconds to quiet down. Time is a precious resource. You lot aren't very rational, are you? I'm your homeroom teacher, Aisawa Shota." The man said as he unzipped his sleeping bag revealing a plain black costume with a long, light colored scarf around his neck.

If he is a teacher in U.A. then he is a pro hero. Machibuse had no clue of whom that man was however.

"Quickly now, change into your gym clothes and head out into the training grounds." Aisawa ordered, more annoyed than demanding.

This did not bode well.

-.

 **March 3rd, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, 0920.**

Hakuba had made it to the training grounds alongside most of the class. They had come from the changing rooms that were pointed to them by Aisawa. Hakuba could not deny that changing in the same room as the rest of the boys was a little awkward, his mutant physique earned a few comments, especially when the Chelicerae on his back sprung forth by accident. He sneezed when opening one dustier closet while storing his regular uniform and now his PE clothes had five pairs of holes alongside his spine.

Luckily, he wasn't the center of attention, to his surprise there were quite a few mutants amongst them. Sero had very distinctive elbows, Iida had what looked like exhausts on his calves, Mineta had a bubble-like hair and Shoji Mezo, a towering figure that Machibuse had yet to speak to, had six arms. Two other of the boys also had distinctive mutations that were not linked to their quirks, the two being Koda, with his rocky head, and Tokoyami Fumikage, a quieter student that had the head of a bird.

The group was welcomed by Aisawa with a task. A Quirk apprehension test. Softball throwing, standing long jump, fifty-meter dash, grip strength, side-to-side stepping, upper body training and seated toe touch.

"You all have done these in middle school, yes? Your standard no-Quirk-allowed test." Aisawa explained. "Quirks are excluded from the calculated average of those records. It's not rational."

"Bakugo. How far could you throw in middle school?" the man called.

"Sixty-seven meters." the blonde replied. Very impressive to Hakuba actually.

"That's great, now try it using your quirk. Do whatever you want, just don't step outside the boundaries." Aisawa instructed as he passed a ball to Bakugo. "Give it you've got." he added.

Kacchan prepared his throw.

"DIEEE!" Bakugo shouted as the ball was blasted of his hand into the distance.

Kirishima turned to Machibuse surprised "Did he just say "Die"?"

Machibuse only nodded in response, his face unmoved yet his mind very, very confused.

"It is important for us to know our limits. That is the first rational step to figure out what kind of heroes you'll be." Aisawa said unfazed, as he held a device that showed Bakugo's result. 705.2 meters.

"THAT'S AWESOME!" someone shouted.

"We can use our Quirks for real?! The Hero Course is great!" a second voice followed.

"You are hoping to become heroes on three years thinking that it'll be all fun and games?" Aisawa interrupted, his tone becoming dark.

"Very well. The one with the lowest overall score amongst you will be judged hopeless and expelled." the teacher stated, eyes dead serious.

No one dared to speak.

"Welcome to the Hero Course! Your fates rest in our hands!"

-.

 **March 3rd, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, 0940.**

"Race number five. Koda and Machibuse." Aisawa called. The first test of Aisawa-sensei's do or die Quirk Apprehension Test was the fifty-meter dash. The students we called in pairs according to their class numbers. Machibuse was the tenth seat.

Machibuse took of his shoes as he proceeded to the starting line in deja-vu. U.A. apparently liked to get him to race. His Chelicerae dug into the ground with each step, series of gashes forming behind him as he ran.

" _4.31 seconds, decent enough."_ He thought as he walked back to retrieve his shoes.

"You intend on shooting yourself from a cannon again, ma'am?" Machibuse asked Yaoyorozu as he walked towards a group of students that awaited their turns.

Yaoyorozu quirked an eyebrow, remembering her less than perfect landing a week ago.

"That is some inside joke you intend on explaining, right?" Jiro asked as she made her way towards the racing track.

"Negative, ma'am." answered Machibuse. His vague response leaving up to debate whether he meant that he wasn't joking or that he had not intention explaining the joke.

Soon enough they got his remark, Yaoyorozu and Mineta were the last ones to race. She opted for a ballista that time.

"Oh." Jiro concluded.

-.

 **March 3rd, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, 1030.**

The tests were mostly uneventful. Hakuba had a small incident during the Grip Strength test, when the chelicerae on his palm actually embedded themselves into the measuring device, resulting in more than a few sparks and an _8888_ reading on the electronic display. Aisawa noted the result to be inconclusive but registered it anyways.

They had reached the fifth event by now, Softball throwing. Machibuse managed to score a 144.3 meter "throw". He actually had just kicked the ball as if it were a soccer ball, relying solely on his physical strength. Iida was positively shocked, if he had done the same his own result would have been much more impressive.

"I'm giving you a pass on that one Machibuse, you exploited my rules in a logical way. But I don't want to see you or any other student sidestepping like this again. The purpose of this test is for me to appraise your Quirks, so use them." Aisawa warned the students.

It was easy to distinguish however that Aisawa was speaking to Midoriya above anyone else. The teen had yet to show a single impressive result and had started to panic.

"Midoriya isn't doing very well…" Iida stated as Izuku walked towards the field with a ball in his hand.

"Well duh. Deku is just a quirkless runt!" Bakugo practically shouted.

"Quirkless!? You don't know about his entrance exam!?" Iida exclaimed back, for once not starting an argument with Bakugo.

Machibuse had seen what Midoriya as capable of doing and that just pilled on the issue. Why wasn't Midoriya using his Quirk? By his observations the last place was split between Midoriya and Mineta up until the last exam, where the diminutive teen dominated the side-to-side stepping by setting up his Quirk to bounce him over the line dozens of times.

Midoriya had to prove himself now.

 _46 meters._

Well… he had three more chances actually.

Midoriya looked very puzzled, as if he expected a result much above what he displayed.

"I erased your Quirk." Aisawa stated. His hair flared up alongside his scarf, his stare fixed on Izuku intently.

"…Y-you are the Erasure Hero, Eraserhead!" Midoriya stuttered in surprise.

"He is the what?" someone asked away in the crowd.

"Never heard of him…" was the reply.

"He is an angler-type hero with a Quirk capable of suppressing other Quirks. I remember the name Eraserhead being used as an example in the Academy. He avoids the media to keep information on his techniques and Quirk hidden." Machibuse answered with his stoic façade holding up despite his interest in his homeroom teacher spiking through the roof.

"That ridiculous entrance exam… completely irrational considering that someone like you got in. I saw how you can't control your Quirk, you will just end up incapacitated again, depending on someone to save you afterwards." Eraserhead stated as que walked towards Midoriya, his scarf pulling the teen closer, cutting Izuku's response short "Whatever you were planning, it would have inconvenienced those around you. You have the same reckless streak as a certain hot-blooded hero who made himself a legend by saving over a thousand people during a disaster, but you can't save a more than a single person without becoming a hindrance. You cannot become a hero with this power of yours."

For the second time that morning Aisawa had left everyone speechless.

"Your Quirk is back, give the test another go. Let's get this over with." Aisawa finally said, handing a second ball to Midoriya.

" _What now, true hero?"_ Hakuba thought, All Might's speech about Izuku's heroic feat during the entrance exam echoing in his mind.

Everyone was tense as Midoriya swung his arm, a jolt of energy running through one of his fingers as the ball slowly rolled of his hand. A subtle twitch of his finger rocketed the ball faster than Hakuba's eyes could follow.

 _705.3_

Midoriya cluched his hand in pain before turning to Aisawa. "Sensei… I can still move."

-.

 **March 3rd, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, 1110.**

They were done. All students had finished all the activities. The only noteworthy events being Bakugo having to be restrained by Aisawa's scarf as he attempted to assault Midoriya for "lying about being quirkless" and Machibuse being asked to stop with the endurance exam so they could move on to the results. The test was supposed to be a simple race, where the students were tasked with running circles around a 250m lap until they got too tired.

Machibuse simply kept boosting himself with adrenaline, running eight laps alone before Aisawa decided that he had enough and ordered him to stop.

On the plus side, that last test completely blew his points out of the water. On the negative, his muscles were burning as he sat on the floor, all the exhaustion catching up to him once the chemicals stopped working. Good thing he kept his expression stoic as usual, even moving his face proved painful.

"Machibuse-san, you okay?" the slumped teen heard as a large shadow hovered over his face.

"Shoji-san..." Machibuse said painfully as he reached out for the large hand offered to him "Permission to… break protocol?"

Shoji had heard an off comment from Yaoyorozu about Hakuba's "protocol". He just nodded as he helped Machibuse to his feet.

"I'll live, just… a minor pain… on my… fucking everything…" Hakuba wobbled for a while as Shoji provided him some support.

"Thank you." he added after a moment, finally able to stand by himself.

"Moving along. It's time for the results… Let's see who is going home for good." Aizawa said as he produced a holographic device that projected the results. Tension in the air was palpable.

 _Yaoyorozu Momo_

 _Todoroki Shouto_

 _Machibuse Hakuba_

 _Bakugo Katsuki_

 _Iida Tenya_

 _Tokoyami Fumikage_

 _Shoji Mezo_

 _Ojiro Mashirao_

 _Kirishima Eijiro_

 _Ashido Mina_

 _Uraraka Ochaco_

 _Koda Koji_

 _Asui Tsuyu_

 _Aoyama Yuga_

 _Sero Hanta_

 _Kaminari Denki_

 _Jiro Kyoka_

 _Hagakure Toru_

 _Mineta Minoru_

 _Midoriya Izuku_

"Also, I was lying about expelling someone." he added nonchalantly once the projection was constructed. "That was a rational deception meant to bring the best out of you."

The students absolutely lost it. Most of them at least.

"Well of course it was a lie, didn't take much to figure it out." Yaoyorozu pointed out as if it was obvious. The three recommended students absolutely unfazed by the revelation.

Luckily for Hakuba he had been too tired to react when Aisawa reveled the ruse. Now no one would suspect that he had fallen for the trap if he kept his mouth shut about it.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Three in a row! Finally got to hit the main story. Having Machibuse joining through a recommendation threw me of the original plot for a while. Good to be able to tie it all in.**_

 _ **I've bumped Sato out for a very simple reason, an odd number of students makes it very inconvenient to deal with the many team ups over the story. Sato simply felt like the less damaging choice to the source material. Let's be fair here, his only accomplishments in the anime were losing to Cementoss and baking cakes. If something comes around and gives him some importance I'll do my best to write him back in.**_


	4. Pairs, Battles

**March 4th, Machibuse Residence, 0300.**

"Fuck, I'm hungry… Ow…"

Hakuba groaned in his bed, he barely remembered how he got home. His muscles ached as if he had fallen a set of stairs. Three or four times over.

"Note to self: Do not overdose on adrenaline." he told himself, getting up slowly. The lights on his room were turned on and he had fallen asleep in his uniform. With his stomach rumbling and his muscles still aching somewhat, sleeping was out of the question, at least for now. He lazily walked towards the kitchen, the dishes from his last breakfast still unwashed.

"If mother saw this I'd hear about it for a while…" he sighed, making his way to the fridge. A blinking display caught his eye before he reached his destination however.

"Midoriya has a cute, bubbly girl as a guardian angel… Mine is a microwave. Figures…" Machibuse spoke as he inspected the device's contents, he had procured himself dinner before heading to his room for something he could not remember right now. He likely fell asleep despite his beloved microwave calling. Well, he wasn't about to be so inconsiderate to his favorite household item a second time: Two minutes till dinner.

His cellphone was left abandoned at the kitchen table he noted. Midoriya's contact info was on display, they had exchanged numbers while in the infirmary. Class 1-A had been let out early on the first day of school, what proved to be the best thing possible, since the school nurse, Recovery Girl, had given him and Midoriya a small sample of her special treatment. Nothing close to what Midoriya received after his debut during the entrance exam, but Hakuba had a minor muscle tearing due to the abusive effort he had put on during the endurance test and Midoriya had a broken finger from the ball throw. Hakuba also had small puncture wounds from where he had injected himself with his Quirk on his bicep. The old lady scolded them both for quite a while, but most of her rage was directed at Aisawa for posing such a test.

Recovery Girl's Quirk was an absolute miracle, but it did a number on his stamina. He felt much better now than he before receiving her assistance. He was likely just sore, and his empty stomach got him grumpy.

 _*Ding*_

Blessed be the microwave.

-.

 **March 4th, Machibuse Residence, 0400.**

For once Hakuba missed the warm shower, hot water would have been better for his sore muscles, but cold water would have to suffice. His muscles felt like cramping for a while, but the water soon washed that away. He didn't bother on putting a shirt on as he intended on going back to his bed and took the opportunity to stretch his chelicerae out for a while. He stood still in fornt of the mirror with his eyes closed, most of his weight on his toes as to avoid damaging the floor. Four in each sole; four in each palm; ten on his back, deployed in pairs spaced evenly, the top three pairs pointing downwards while the lower two pairs pointed upwards; one behind each knee, those being somewhat thicker and longer than the others, pointed down; one on the inside of each elbow, pointing to his shoulders; and finally the pair inside his mouth.

He stood there for about a minute, before retracting his weapons and relaxing his musculature. His eyes drifted to a point in his reflection. A number.

 _16._

Tattooed in a thick, bold font on his left shoulder, the black ink contrasted with his lightly tanned skin. Machibuse pushed the memory away as he left the bathroom. He needed to get some shut eye before school.

-.

 **March 4th, In Transit Towards U.A. Highschool, 0800.**

The track to U.A. was more fruitful today, minutes after leaving his apartment building Hakuba had ran into one of his classmates. Shoji apparently lived less than two city blocks away from Machibuse, his family had rented a room for him to stay during his time at U.A. While not much of a talker, Shoji kept the conversation going without problem. They mostly spoke about the having to move to Tokyo, about Aisawa and other class members and a few odd bits about their Quirks.

Shoji Mezo was an interesting individual, calm and absolutely down to earth. Two things that Hakuba prized highly. Shoji had the mutant aspect pushed into him much harder than most other students in Class 1-A, his towering frame and very visible mutations earning a few stares along the way. Was that the reason he wore a mask? Machibuse was curious, but now it was not the time to ask about it.

The duo ran into Kirishima Eijiro and Ashido Mina about halfway to the school, and man, the pace of the conversation went up as the two seemingly bottomless pits of excitement joined.

Kirishima was the textbook definition of a nice guy, if only held back by his slightly overbearing fondness for the concept of "manliness". Kirishima had apparently taken a liking to Hakuba due to how manly a military academy sounded. It had escaped Kirishima how Machibuse literally drugged his targets as a fighting method.

Not only some nice eye-candy, Ashido was a cheerful person that wanted everyone to have a good time. Her mood somewhat contagious as her upbeat voice guided the group's conversation, she had been thinking about some way to get the two more reclusive boys in the class, Tokoyami and Todoroki, to speak up a little. While Machibuse could not give an opinion on Tokoyami, he warned about Todoroki's less than stellar disposition towards others as he remembered the entrance exam they took together. Unfortunately, this prompted Ashido to start asking about his relationship with the other student in their class to partake the Recommendation Exam; Yaoyorozu Momo. Apparently, the fact that they were cordial to each other more than once during the first day of school was already enough to get Ashido's romantic mind going.

-.

 **March 4th, U.A. Highschool Main Building, Class 1-A, 0950.**

Machibuse had somehow forgotten that U.A. Highschool was, surprisingly, a highschool. They still had regular classes like maths, literature and art. Currently Class 1-A was braving through one of Present Mic's English classes, and Machibuse was bored out of his mind. Okinawa's Militaly Academy had a very long-standing agreement with the U.S. Army, so all students were expected to be proficient in the language in order to partake in a number of activities. At least he had one class to slack on.

"OY! Machibuse! Show some spirit! Problem number five!" the teacher called him out. While not spacing out, he probably looked uninterested enough to get Present Mic's attention.

"Sir, the answer is the fourth choice, Sir!" Machibuse replied as he stood up. He had already finished the chapters questions out of boredom.

"And why is that? And don't call me "Sir"! You are making me feel old!" Present Mic retorted, slightly annoyed.

"Sorry sensei! The conjunction in the fourth example is in the wrong position. As it is the case of the first example given in question number six and third example given in question number nine" Machibuse explained his answer.

"DING DING DING! That's correct! Now stop giving away the answers to the next questions!" the teacher accepted in his usual fashion, gesturing the student to sit down. Present Mic was not about to call him out to answer things another time so soon.

Second period was Midnight's Modern Art class. Not Hakuba's favorite subject, but damn Midnight had her way to keep a captive audience. Machibuse was sure that she made a point to write down the most important information on blackboard at the height of her chest to trick the students into actually reading her notes.

The only issue with Midnight's class was Mineta acting a little too excited. While also an admirer of the female form, Machibuse was still very adherent to a sense of conduct and Mineta's very existence tampered way too close to the edge. Second day of school and he already disliked three of his classmates, such a compelling thought.

-.

 **March 4th, U.A. Highschool Cafeteria, 1200.**

Machibuse had been very skeptical about the cafeteria at first, afraid that it would either cost a fortune to eat or that the food would taste like the protein rations back in Okinawa. He was very happy to be proven wrong by very good food for a very decent price. His only gripe with the school restaurant was the fact that by the time they left home it would be closed, so there was no way for him to get something home for the days he got too lazy to cook. Not everything could be perfect.

Perfect was something he intended on calling his meal at the moment. A large bow of steaming hot curry on top of white rice. He was in a public space, so eating like a caveman was out of the question however. He shared a table with Shoji at his side, Kaminari and Yaoyorozu on the other cushioned seat across the table, the female facing him. He had seen Midoriya, Iida and Uraraka in line to get food, but lost them in the crowd afterwards. He was also positively sure that Ashido and/or Mineta were lurking somewhere in the cafeteria, as he had noticed their eyes following him as he walked outside with Yaoyorozu. Their reasons for doing so were vastly different however.

"Something is bothering you." Shoji stated plainly, speaking from one mouth that formed in his tentacles, facing Machibuse.

"Affirmative." he responded, not losing focus on his meal.

"How can you tell that? His face hasn't even moved since we got here!" Kaminari asked, baffled as he continued to stuff his face.

"Birds of a feather. At least I save myself the trouble and actually wear a mask." the larger teen answered, the mouth now turned to Kaminari. With that Shoji resumed eating, he would hide his face within the membranes that connected his multiple arms in order to take of his mask and eat with his actual mouth.

Yaoyorozu let out a short laugh at Shoji's jab at the ever stoic Machibuse, whose only visible reaction was a slight twitch on his right eye as he continued to eat. She placed her bow of rice back on the table before speaking.

"Something you want to talk about? We may be able to help." She offered, some concern in her voice. Kaminari had also stopped eating to pay attention while an eye sprouted from Shoji.

"Permission to break protocol?" Machibuse asked as usual, placing his empty bow back on the table. The two in front visibly nodded, he assumed Shoji to had done the same.

"You guys really don't wanna know…" his shoulders slumped, he sighed in frustration. Unbeknownst to them, Hakuba spotted a mess of pink hair with horns taking her leave alongside other students from his class. Ashido had a devilish smirk on her face as she looked back, aware that she had been seen, and Hakuba could basically hear her thoughts from his seat.

-.

 **March 4th, U.A. Highschool Main Building, Class 1-A, 1300.**

"I'M HERE!... COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"

The class was in awe as All Might made his debut as a teacher, his impressive physique made even more dramatic by the so called "silver age" costume he wore. For the first time Class 1-A was to dive into the reason they all joined U.A.

"BASIC HERO TRAINING! THE CLASS THAT WILL PUT YOU ALL THROUGH SPECIAL TRAINING TO MOLD YOU ALL INTO HEROES!" the number one hero proclaimed while striking various poses.

"No time to dally, young ones! Today's activity is this: Battle training!" All Might stated as he held out a card with the word "Battle" printed onto it in a very stylized font.

Reactions across the classroom were varied, Bakugo was absolutely thrilled to fight someone, others like Kirishima and Kaminari also seemed very eager. On the other hand, there were individuals like Mineta and Midoriya that seemed very averse to the idea.

"And for that you will need these!" All Might's voice once again filled the air as he pressed a button on a remote, revealing rows of cabinets in the classroom wall, all twenty filled with numbered suitcases.

"In accordance with the "Quirk Registry" and special forms you filled out before being admitted… Your costumes!"

Now everyone had rushed to their feet, Hakuba's façade barely holding his excitement.

"After you change, come out in ranking order to Ground Beta! Looking good is very important ladies and gentlemen, as from today on you are all heroes!"

-.

 **March 4th, U.A. Highschool Ground Beta, 1330.**

Not too surprised to see that his last equipment request had yet to be delivered, Machibuse changed into his hero outfit. Everything either just how he asked or slightly tweaked in a positive way. It was light, easy enough to replace if damaged and very practical to his needs, he liked having pockets.

Black cargo pants, cuffs tucked inside black tabi socks. He was always discarding his shoes, so opted for forgoing them altogether, instead having his socks be padded with thin rubber. A matching black military bulletproof vest with two pockets and a small bottle strapped to it worn over three layers of clothing. A plain, sleeveless, light gray shirt over an urban camo raincloak, a mesh of white and shades of gray, that was zippered only from neck to waist, the cloack extended a little past his knees and was kept from falling in front of his legs by the straps on the bulletproof vest. Underneath all that he wore a sleeveless, white second skin just for comfort. Black sap gloves covered his hands, even if his fighiting style rarely relied on punching it would not be bad to be prepared. The cloak provided Hakuba with a hood, but he also wore a white standard issue medical mask just to be on the safe side about hiding his face.

All the pieces were fitted with carefully positioned openings for his Chelicerae to spring without damaging the costume. Three other details were left on display, the kanji for "conquest" (征服) printed in white on his right shoulder, his dog tags hanging on his neck and the number tattooed on his left shoulder, visible through a hole tailored in the cloak.

An urban ninja, all things considered. People back in Okinawa would get mad if the only student they ever sent to U.A. turned out too flashy. Hakuba would've if he were the one judging.

The entrance to Ground Beta was a long, dark tunnel, some of the other students were already exiting it so he followed suit. By his accounts the only ones missing were Hagakure and Midorya.

Then he spotted a floating pair of gloves.

It was the logical choice to fit her Quirk, sure, but Machibuse absolutely could have not been the only one to question her choice in attire.

The tunnel finally ended, ahead of the group lied an urban landscape similar to the one that hosted the regular Entrance Exam. Non-living targets weren't his specialty, so Machibuse hoped that they would not need to deal with robots.

Midoriya was still absent, so Machibuse took his time to study the costumes of his classmates. Most were on the simpler side: Koda wore a simple yellow and red bodysuit; Ojiro was in a standard martial arts gi; Kaminari's and Jiro's were the kind of clothing one would expect to see in a concert; and Tokoyami's was a plain black robe. Others had decided on a much more complex approach: Uraraka sported a surprisingly form-fitting bodysuit, with knee-high, pink high-heeled boots, thick belt and wristbands and a tinted visor; Aoyama donned a full suit of medieval armor, complete with a shimmering purple cape; and Iida was barely recognizable in a pale silver armor over a black one-piece suit, the exhausts on his calves being the only thing to give away his identity.

Machibuse had no fucking clue whether Mineta's costume was supposed to be a fruit bow, a diaper or a mix of both. The little creep was too busy checking out the girls to notice his military classmate glaring daggers at his antics.

"I figured that you would not be one to stand out, but a mask AND a hood is a little overkill." A familiar voice came from his left.

"The mask is more of a safety net in case my hood falls off, ma'am. Actually I…" Machibuse explained as he turned to face her. His reply cut short as he took in the sight of Yaoyorozu's costume. To say it was revealing was a very, very moderate statement.

Her expression flattened as their eyes met, his serious façade clearly broken even through the mask.

"Permission to break protocol, ma'am?" Machibuse asked after a very awkward moment of silence between them.

"Don't make me regret this." Momo's eyes squinted as she spoke.

"…If Mineta says or, god forbid, does anything just give the call and I will have him tied to a tree or deep in a lake within the hour." Machibuse said, regaining his composure.

Yaoyorozu had trouble stifling a laugh, she had dealt with boys having to come with excuses a fair number of times, but thus far that had been the best save she ever heard.

"I apologize, ma'am, I am sure you don't need me commending your looks at a time like this." Machibuse resumed, his strictness back as if it had never been breached.

Yaoyorozu nodded with a smile on her face, still recovering from the unexpected response.

"You were saying something about your mask." She resumed their conversation.

"Yes, this mask was something I added by myself after filling the costume design. I realized that my hood may come to fall eventually and did not wanted to bother the design company with last minute changes, so I bought this a few days before we started school." Machibuse explained.

"It doesn't really fit the character, you know." Yaoyorozu pondered, one hand on her chin.

"It does not need to fit a character, ma'am. I'm a soldier, this is uniform." Machibuse responded to her.

"You are no soldier. You are a hero." Yaoyorozu's brow furrowed as she stated in a firm voice.

Machibuse Hakuba remained silent as her words sunk into his mind with much more impact than Yaoyorozu could ever know.

"Stand still, I got an idea…" she said, pulling something from the back of her hand.

Yaoyorozu stepped closer, one of her hands cupping his cheek as she leaned in.

Other students whose eyes happened to be facing in their general direction all froze, one could have heard a grain of salt hitting the ground through the absolute silence. Time passed very, very slowly. Ashido's smile was getting wider and wider.

"Here, a smile should help you to at least inspire someone and it makes less obvious that you just got the mask at a drug store." Yaoyorozu said while holding a black marker in her hand. She would have liked to have done a better job but given the situation the simple sideways D she just drew on his white mask would have to suffice. Momo was oblivious to the scene she just had caused.

Then she noticed Machibuse trying to keep up his façade, eyes twitching as blood rushed to his face.

Then she noticed a good ten to twelve of her classmates, and their teacher, looking at them.

Silence.

Absolute silence.

"…YOUNG MIDORIYA! YOU HAVE ARRIVED! NOW NOW, LET'S GET THINGS STARTED." All Might bellowed.

Deku was in fact a true hero.

-.

 **March 4th, U.A. Highschool Ground Beta, Observation Room, 1350.**

Midoriya once again proved to be an absolute madman.

Machibuse was well aware that a battle between Midoriya and Bakugo was bound to get personal and scale out of proportions very fast.

Bakugo clearly attempted to _almost_ murder Midoriya. First with his explosive gauntlet and later with what was supposed to be the finishing blow of their training battle. He was an absolute combat genious and could've easily killed "Deku" if set on doing so.

As crazy as he was, Midoriya was a genius on his own accord. He had one shot to win both his personal battle with "Kacchan" and the mock battle as a whole. It had almost costed him losing an arm, but he managed to win both fights in a single strike possible only through perfect strategy.

Three of the four combatants returned, with Midoriya once again heading to Recovery Girl's.

"I'd say Iida was the MVP of the match!" All Might stated, gesturing towards the very surprised armored teen. "Someone knows why?" he then proceeded to ask his students.

"Even though Midoriya and Ochako won?" Asui pondered.

"I do, All Might-sensei." Yaoyorozu said, her hand held up high.

Yaoyorozu then proceeded to explain what she had perceived, bringing about very fair points about the personal squabble between Midoriya and Bakugo as well their lack of self-restraint in the enclosed space, about Uraraka's final attack not being situated to be used in a W.M.D. scenario and how Iida only lost due to how the rules were structured.

Machibuse disagreed about the last one. The Hero team had been given a task and Midoriya planned with the task in mind. Midoriya had shown to be a strategist capable enough, so Machibuse had little doubts that he would not have problems coming up with a plan for a different scenario.

All Might was clearly taken aback by the conclusion reached by his pupils, adding very little commentary of his own.

The following battle would be between teams B and I. The winner was already very clear in Machibuse's mind however. He already trusted Shoji enough from what he had seen during Aisawa's first class. A grip of over half a ton was far more than necessary and his sensory abilities effectively had Hagakure's invisibility in check. Shoji was likely her worst possible matchup in the class.

And Todoroki was a factor. Machibuse was well aware that the quiet teen was a monster, now it just remained to see how big of a monster he actually was.

-.

 **March 4th, U.A. Highschool Ground Beta, 1420.**

Machibuse could see the site of Todoroki's fight across the street, the frozen five-story building thawing in the sun. Todoroki had proven to be a monster much bigger than expected.

It was his turn to partake in the faux battle.

"Jiro-san." he called his partner asking once he gained her attention "About your Quirk. May I ask how it works?"

"So formal, geez…" Jiro Kyoka sighed before explaining "It's pretty simple, I can stick these into objects to hear from afar and through solid objects. I can also send vibrations through them to damage whatever is connected." she resumed, one of her plugs moving as she spoke.

"Very well, ma'am. I'll be relying on you to guide me then." Machibuse nodded as to reassure her. He adjusted his communication device as they stood before the doors of their test site. Having someone capable of reconnaissance at his back was something he was very happy about.

"Any idea about our villains?" Jiro asked as she studied the building map. They were against Sero Hanta and Kirishima Eijiro.

"They will attempt to keep a low profile if they are aware of your Quirk. I am worrying about Kirishima-san's defenses however, I am unsure if I am capable of piercing his skin." Machibuse spoke, glancing at his map as well.

"Sero is smarter than he looks, they probably have traps laying inside. I can't pinpoint the location of a bundle of tape strapped across the floor unless someone steps on it." Jiro observed as the bell rung, their timer had begun.

"Going straight for the bomb is unadvisable then. We capture the targets or lure them away from the objective instead. Either way we need to get them to move. Nine hundred seconds to go." Machibuse said as he propped the door open.

Jiro was quick to start prodding the walls with her Earphone Jack.

"They are quiet. Likely standing still." she informed.

"The map showed only two rooms large enough to fit our objective, both on back side of the building, fourth or fifth floor." Machibuse pointed out as he headed outside the building.

"And you are planning on…?" one of Jiro's plugs gestured to the inside of the building.

"We wait. They will be easier to read when impatient. We start the operation in three minutes." Machibuse detailed.

"Psychological warfare, eh? You play dirty for someone so uptight." Jiro mused, agreeing to the plan.

"I get that a lot, ma'am."

-.

 **March 4th, U.A. Highschool Ground Beta, Observation Room, 1422.**

"The hell they are doing?" Kaminari half-shouted, his impatience tangible, they had watched Jiro and Machibuse standing still outside the building for what seemed like an eternity.

"The bell rung, right? They didn't listen, maybe?" Uraraka suggested, very confused.

"No, they entered the building once the timer started. They just decided to not do anything and back out." Asui observed, ruining Uraraka's theory.

"Hey, they are moving!" Mineta pointed, everyone then turned back to the monitor.

-.

 **March 4th, U.A. Highschool Ground Beta, 1423.**

"You need a sound from the targets so I'll get them to make some. I do not plan on engaging combat without your aid unless I'm against Sero-san alone." Machibuse explained, the Chelicerae on his hands and feet sprung out. He intended on climbing the building.

"Move along while avoiding possible traps. Don't engage and keep me informed of any changes in their state." he added as he started to move upwards the buildings face. While not outstandingly faster than a regular climber, the hooked weapons provided enough grip for him to climb most surfaces without the aid of specialized gear.

" _Five-hundred and sixty seconds."_ Machibuse had told himself as he soon reached the window of the fourth floor.

"Third floor is a mess, tape all over. No movement from the enemies yet." Jiro spoke over the com.

"Fourth floor seems empty, view into the main room obstructed by tape. I'll breach the window." Machibuse replied, shattering the glass with the padding in his gloves.

"…Fifth floor, room in the back. Heavier steps, Red Target is on the move Captain!" Jiro joked over the com. The targets were anxious, and the sound of breaking glass had spiked their curiosity.

"Draw him out, Lieutenant. Maybe he will show us a path around the traps." Machibuse joked back, his stoic tone betrayed by the quip.

Jiro was surprised just now. "And here I thought that you were back-up Iida… Heavy activity on the objective room… Orange Target is also on the move." she informed

"Sero-san is likely cutting of our access route to the bomb. Capture is the only option now. Four-hundred and eighty seconds left." he concluded.

"They are reaching the fourth floor together, still wanna me to draw attention? And are you actually counting!?" Jiro asked incredulously.

"Affirmative for both. I can see the stairs heading down, so get their attention so soon as the Orange Target is closer to my location than to Kirishima's, that will be my signal. Red Target is likely to come after me, so I will be relying on your support, wait for me on the to come to you." Machibuse replied, levering himself on the window.

"…Do you think that Kirishima can harden his eardrums?" Jiro asked nonchalantly.

"…That would be very unlikely, ma'am. Why do you ask?" Machibuse asked out of curiosity.

"Just get your ears covered shut and don't stand between me and the Red Target, Captain." She answered confidently.

Hakuba decided to trust his lieutenant on that one.

Moments later a loud crack came from the floor below, it was his cue to enter the scene. Sero stood about five feet from the window, Kirishima another ten beyond that. The distance to the stairs slightly favored Machibuse, and he was much faster than Kirishima. Jiro had set up a very good scenario.

Sero had barely time to turn the chelicerae on Machibuse's right hand dug into the back of his left tight, the attacker came low to the ground, actually sliding on his knees as he passed by.

 _"Payload delivered."_

"WHATAHELL!" Sero shouted painfully as he stumbled backwards. Now Machibuse had Kirishima's attention.

Sero attempted to capture the assailant with his tape but missed as Hakuba extended his legs and dove into a handstand. Quickly spinning clockwise, the back of Machibuse's left knee struck Sero underneath the ribs, sending him down on his back and delivering a second batch of chemicals into his system.

 _"Payload stacked."_

Sero would get up quickly, but he had already been dealt a finishing blow, the chemicals would kick in soon enough. Now Machibuse needed to reach the third floor.

Kirishima charged in his direction, his skin jagged and rigid "Not cool dude! Real men don't cheat like that!"

Poor Kirishima, if he only knew.

Keeping the momentum from his last attack, Hakuba pushed his bodyweight off the floor, landing on his feet in a crouched position, one of his sides turned to the manliest of men. He then quickly jolted towards Kirishima.

The red-haired teen had a large toothy smile, a direct confrontation heighted heavily in his favor. His happiness cut short however, as his opponent dove head-first down a flight of stairs, Hakuba preferred to run than to face him. Sero was getting up, so he didn't need to worry as he rushed after.

The last thing he saw was Jiro, with one foot forward and a large grin on her face. She had what looked like a subwoofer propped on her boot. There was only pain afterwards.

-.

 **March 4th, U.A. Highschool Ground Beta, Observation Room, 1430.**

"And that, ladies and gentlemen is a textbook example of fighting smart! Flawless strategy and execution! I can't even point an MVP this… round… Young Machibuse, how long is that going to last?" All Might asked as mix of concern and annoyance halted his praises to the winning duo.

Sero had been giggling nonstop since they arrived, he was almost incapable of standing by now and completely unable to focus.

"I've flooded his system with dopamine, serotonin and a mix of chemicals I acquired from an energy drink on my way to your class, sir. His immune system should be breaking my chemicals as we speak. Complete recovery will take from thirty to fifty minutes by my calculations." Machibuse explained, absolutely unfazed by his drugged classmate as if that was a common occurrence.

"PFFT! THE THREE OF YOU AaaaaRE HILAaa… HILARIOUS!" Sero blurted out throwing his arms up before slowing lowering them. He stared blankly at his own palms for a few seconds before laughing out once more, he now had thrown his arms wide open and started making airplane noises.

"He is likely hallucinating, sir. I can start working on the antidote if you so desire, All Might sir." Machibuse offered, his eyes not once moving towards Sero.

"Yes, that would be best."

"NNNNNEEEEEAOOOOOWN"

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Damn this one got longer than I expected. I'll try my hand at getting a draw of Hakuba's costume.**_

 _ **If you guys want a reference of how Hakuba fights hand-to-hand, think Mugen from Samurai Champloo.**_


	5. Partners, Friends

**March 5th, Machibuse Residence, 0630.**

"A little earlier than I'd like…" Machibuse told himself as he got up from bed, one loud yawn interrupting his monologue. "Whell, ha loth earhlier tham I'f likfe." He continued even with the chelicerae inside his mouth poised to strike his ability to form proper words.

"Gof damith." The teen cursed before forcing his jaw open once more, the rebellious appendages retreating back inside his musculature.

"Why do I even have these things inside my mouth? I was told that Quirks evolved over the generations, and yet the old man's got stupider when I inherited it…" Hakuba complained as he scanned his room for something.

Hakuba's Quirk, Chelicerae, was the result of hybridization between his father's Chemical Bite and his mother's Quills.

Failing to find the box he looked for in his room, Machibuse resigned and proceeded with his standard morning routine of calisthenics, followed by a cold shower and breakfast. The lack of a proper space for his exercises was one of the few things that bothered him about his apartment, not only he lacked physical space to move but his Quirk was prone to poking holes into the wooden floor. Maybe there was a park somewhere near, Shoji knew the area better than he did, so it would be a good idea to ask once they met to go to U.A.

Little did he know that the box he was looking for was the one he just stepped over on his way to the bathroom, the one he'd always complain about having no idea of what it was.

-.

 **March 5th, U.A. Highschool Main Building, Class 1-A, 0900.**

Precise down to seconds, their homeroom teacher, Aisawa made his way to his desk visibly more annoyed than usual. It had been a busy morning on U.A.'s main gate, reporters stacked on top of one another bombarding every single student with questions regarding All Might's new position as a teacher.

Machibuse and Shoji were lucky enough to pass by without much of a hassle. The former giving some bland excuse about All Might's classes being classified information as they had microphones shoved in their faces. They happened to find Tokoyami trapped by people questioning him and that prompted both teens to make their way back into the crowd to rescue a classmate.

Tokoyami was one of the less sociable students in 1-A, serious, reserved and somewhat dismissive. He was still leagues ahead of Todoroki however and the three had a good chat about yesterday's battles. Tokoyami's Quirk, Dark Shadow, was easily one of the strongest amongst 1-A's classmates.

"Regardless of what is happening at the gate we still have maters to attend in class." Aisawa spoke as he placed a stack of papers into his table.

"Good work with yesterday's battle training. I've looked over your grades and evaluations." He continued, his eyes now moving to specific students.

"Bakugo: Grow up, you are wasting your talent. Midoriya: You ended another day with a broken arm. I hate repeating myself. Machibuse: An exemplar performance by you and Jiro but try to come up with and antidote for your Quirk as soon as the activities are over. We can't have people drugged in class." the teacher concluded. Airplane Sero was only fun until he started shooting tape with every maneuver.

Machibuse's gaze met Jiro's as she turned, both confused by the experience of being praised by Aisawa.

"Now on to homeroom business. Today's announcement is a but sudden but…" Aisawa spoke once more, his students visibly tensed as they expected another goring experience at his hands.

"You'll pick a class president today." he sighed, clearly uninterested in the process. The students on the other hand bolted up in excitement. Most of them at least.

Todoroki was still like a fixture, Midoriya was interested in the whole ordeal but was too shy to speak up and Machibuse shared his teacher's disinterest. Things were more often than not pushed into him during his years at the military academy, so if he could choose to partake or not into certain activities he definitely would not step out of his comfort zone.

He could see the appeal of leading a class of such a prestigious school however.

"Quiet down everyone!" bellowed Iida of all people "Leading the many is great responsibility, and ambition does not equate to ability!"

He was way too much into it.

"The sacred office demands the trust of it's constituents! If this is to be a democracy then I put forward the motion that our leader must be chosen by and election!" proclaimed the man in glasses, his hand up high as he posed as some congressman.

"But don't you think that we didn't actually had enough time to build trust?" Asui spoke, exposing the gap in Iida's plan. Machibuse more often than not agreed with the girl's blunt approach to talking problems, but he had a code to follow.

"Yeah, everyone will just vote for themselves!" Kirishima added.

"That is precisely why anyone who manages to earn multiple votes will be the best suited for the job." Iida explained. His attention immediately turning to the teacher as he asked for his approval.

"Yes, whatever. Just get it done before lunch." the man shrugged as he stepped into his sleeping bag.

Right on cue someone knocked on the door. The class fell silent for a moment.

"Come in." Aisawa spoke, opening just enough of the zipper to fit his head through.

"Excuse me sensei, I'm looking for Machibuse Hakuba!" a feminine voice spoke as the door opened. A short girl with pink hair stood by the doorway. She had some very peculiar googles perched on her head, the jacket of her uniform tied around her waist, revealing her very interesting figure.

"Machibuse, what did you do?" Aisawa asked annoyedly, he had to step out of his sleeping bag as it seemed.

"No no, it's not like that! I'm from the Support Department, Hatsume Mei, class 1-H. Professor Maijima has a few papers related to his equipment." Hatsume explained.

With that, Machibuse got up from his seat and Aisawa proceeded to retrieve the numbered suitcase containing his gear.

"Machibuse-san, you intend on not partaking on electing your classes representant!?" Iida asked shocked as if Machibuse was about to commit some great unspeakable taboo.

"Yes." Hakuba spoke flatly as he was handed his costume. This Mei girl maybe from outside the Hero Course, but she sure saved him.

Machibuse was about to step outside when he spoke again, his eyes veering in Yaoyorozu's direction. "I trust you will make the right choice."

She acknowledged his comment with a soft smile.

"Come on hero boy, if we get through your paperwork quick enough maybe I can get to show you my babies!" Hatsume rushed him out.

The class was dead silent for a solid two seconds after they left before Mineta cried in disbelief.

"HE GET'S TO SEE HER WHAT!?"

-.

 **March 5th, U.A. Highschool Development Studio, 0945.**

Turned out that Hatsume Mei was not referring to her chest when she spoke about showing her babies. It was only the third day of school and she already had blueprints pilled upon her desk. Hakuba was told by her to leave his suitcase there after changing into his costume as she would need to install an extra compartment for his new equipment and his eye quickly glanced at some of her projects, he was no technical genius but understood enough to see that it was very impressive stuff.

Power Loader carried a metallic box as he motioned Hakuba to head into the changing room within the Studio.

"Did you always have a mask as part of your costume?" Power Loader asked as Machibuse made his way back. All the students in the studio taking notes on every detail of Machibuse's gear. He was not only the first fully geared student from the Hero Course that came to their studio, but from what they knew about his latest request his new gear would be something big.

"Negative, sensei. I added this one by myself." Machibuse explained.

"Want us to provide you with something? This seems store-bought." The teacher offered.

"It gives character, sensei. I'm supposed to be a hero, not a soldier." Machibuse explained as Yaoyorozu's words came back to his mind. He made sure to speak before another memory from that moment took place.

"Ok, I'll just update the inventory "to contain a personal item". Just so that people don't throw it away by accident." Power Loader said as he motioned towards the box. "You are aware of what this entails, correct?"

Machibuse nodded.

"Very well, just sign on these and we can proceed with the testing. Keep in mind that you are only receiving this due to your recommendation from a military institution, normally students would need at least eighteen months to be allowed such requests." Power Loader informed as he handed Machibuse two identical sheets of paper, the teen was to keep one.

Paperwork done and set aside, Power Loader produced a key to unlock the box, all of class 1-H had their eyes wide open in expectancy. The box contained various items and Machibuse had been promptly handed one of them. A, light, misshaped construct of matted titanium metal, carbon fiber and nanofiber cable about as big as his forearm. It had a visible triggering mechanism and a clasp to affix it to the costume's belt.

"Hatsume was the one to design the folding and affixing mechanism, which is why I asked for her to bring you here. It was their day one assignment." Power Loader explained.

Hatsume's was sitting on the edge of her chair, her first baby about to be properly tested for the first time. She eyed Machibuse expectantly, eager for him to pull the trigger.

Machibuse complied. Within seconds the construct unfolded into a compound bow, tensing perfectly as the cables ran through the pulleys. With one fluid motion he drew the bowstring. This pro hero stuff felt absolutely amazing when compared to the standard issue equipment he had to train back in Okinawa. Machibuse then proceeded to slowly return the bowstring to it's resting position as he was called to inspect the remaining pieces of his request. Instead of folding the bow back he opted for hooking it into his belt using the same clasp, weight evenly distributed so he could run without much interference.

"Hatsume, ma'am. You have earned yourself a customer today. I will be bringing my requests to you soon enough." Machibuse said, bowing lightly towards the engineer.

Hatsume went ballistic with that, millions of projects crossing her mind in an instant. She had known from the moment Power Loader proposed her class to help design a support item for someone recommended by the military that this was the biggest chance to make her babies stand out. Some heroes were opposed to relying on their support items, but a soldier turned hero would prize his gear as much as his own Quirk.

"Don't get her too worked up, kiddo… Here, try this." The teacher in the room sighed as handed the quiver to the teen. It was a little heavier than what Machibuse trained with normally and shaped a little differently towards the bottom, but it had a very good reason for it.

Power Loader then handed him one arrow. Instead of the usual arrowhead however, this one had a thin vial topped of with a plate in the shape of a plus. The plate sported twelve short needles. Machibuse loaded the arrow into the quiver and proceeded to spring out one of the pairs of Chelicerae in his spine. A perfect fit. The chelicerae loaded the quiver, which in turn loaded the arrowhead. Instead of impacting with a deadly projectile, this arrowhead was designed to inject a chemical payload from afar. The inertia from the shot would compress the vial, forcing the payload through the injector needles.

Hakuba had this idea to be able to use his Quirk without engaging close quarters combat years ago, but his request for a working prototype had been denied every time.

The last piece of gear was a second quiver, much smaller, to be strapped on his left arm, it framed his tattoo nicely. This quiver had space for eight arrows but housed only three at the moment. Two smokebomb tipped arrowheads and one carrying a small speaker. He actually had run out of ideas for utility arrows.

He shot a look at Hatsume. Her grin grew wider as she understood his plan: That small quiver was to be her own private playground. She just nabbed one of the very few students that were allowed permit for weapons and had no ties to a major manufacturing company. Oh the amazing babies she would make with his help.

All said and done, Hakuba went back inside the changing room. Doing as he was told; his suitcase and gear were left on Hatsume's desk. They exchanged cellphone numbers under the promise that she would not bombard him with messages.

Machibuse thanked Power Loader for his immense help and returned to class, hoping that all the class rep business was over.

-.

 **March 5th, U.A. Highschool Main Building, Class 1-A, 1100.**

Machibuse made his way back to class with a happy spring in his step. As happy as his military guise allowed at least. He opened the classroom door and wasn't surprised to see Yaoyorozu standing in front of the class. What surprised him was to see Midoriya by her side as president, and Midoriya seemed very surprised himself, to the point that he was visibly shaking.

Iida looked absolutely defeated as his idea turned on him. Bakugo questioning angrily in order to find out who voted for Midoriya. Mineta was also radiating very negative emotions, jealously and anger, but no towards the elected students. His tiny fists squeezing hard as he laid eyes on Machibuse.

Oh this opportunity could not be wasted, the stoic façade almost giving out as a devilish plan came to his mind.

Recess was drawing close.

He needed help. Jiro could prove interested in his endeavor and he actually had her number fresh in his memory, she'd told him during their three-minute wait yesterday.

As soon as the bell rang and Aisawa closed himself in the yellow cocoon he texted her.

 _Lieutenant Jiro,_

 _This is an urgent situation, so I'll be breaking protocol without permission._

 _Purple Target has started to act, exposing signals of weakness to be exploited._

 _The girl from 1-H gave me her number so we can discuss about my gear, Purple Target needs only to be informed that she gave me her number._

 _The "babies" she spoke of had nothing to with her chest._

 _Your Captain, over._

Jiro visibly held a laugh. She was in.

"So, Machibuse-san, you took quite a while to "go over a few papers" with that chick from the Support Course… care to explain?" Jiro asked nonchalantly just as Mineta approached the door. He froze in place.

Every single student in class had and incredulous look in their face, even Todoroki expressed some sort of reaction.

"Nothing noteworthy, ma'am. Power Loader was there the whole time. She did give me her number se we could… discuss about her "babies" in private however." Machibuse spoke, never straying from his usual tone.

Now the whole class was in absolute shock.

Purple Target was about to break.

"Sheesh Hakuba, one girl at a time please, not even a full day." Jiro said, her tone an impressive mix of genuinely impressed and pained.

Mineta stormed out of the room, his mouth agape as if he were screaming, yet no sound came. Everything just happened too perfectly

Jiro clutched her sides, her laughter bursting immediately after the scene. Machibuse managed to hold his stoic face for a whole three seconds before doing the same.

They had a lot of explaining to do and it had proven very hard to do so while laughing.

That was the first time class 1-A ever heard Machibuse Hakuba laugh.

-.

 **March 5th, U.A. Highschool Cafeteria, 1225.**

As fast as it had come, Machibuse's smile had already been contained back to his usual rigidness. He was accompanied by Yaoyorozu, Ashido and Asui at his table while Iida, Uraraka and Midoriya were siting on the table right beside. Shoji had left the group a few minutes ago, said that he would try to get Tokoyami to join them and had yet to get back.

The group had their moment of relishing in the prank, even Iida laughed, even if he admittedly felt bad doing so.

The current topic was Iida's older brother, the Turbo Hero Ingenium. Even a dolt in hero culture like Machibuse knew the man, personally in fact. Iida was very surprised with the news, as far as he knew, his brother never went to Okinawa.

"The other way around. I had to attend to something in the main island, your brother was attending as well, Iida-san." Machibuse said, his eyes moving down ever so slightly. "A very good man." he finished.

No one noticed that small shift in Machibuse's expression besides Yaoyorozu. She had started to pick up on his mannerisms… and she had a gut feeling the something big just happened.

 _SECURITY LEVEL 3 HAS BEEM BROKEN. ALL STUDENTS PLEASE EVACUATE IN ORDERLY FASHION._

The alarm went off, people were panicking, corridors were getting clogged as the group was dispersed. Yaoyorozu was about to move when she noticed that Machibuse was impassive. He likely was spacing, his eyes lost somewhere in the distance.

"We gotta go, school has been breached!" Yaoyorozu shook his shoulder.

"Ok what has gotten into you?" she asked, almost screaming due to the chaos.

"Main exit is blocked. We evacuate through the kitchen instead." Machibuse dismissed her question, getting up and studying what route to take.

She tugged on his sleeve. Her eyes speaking volumes about her concern.

"You and Shoji have been discussing." Hakuba assumed, his back still turned to her.

"No, but we might after this." Momo stated, the grip she had on his sleeve loosening slightly.

"Yesterday what he pointed out was another issue. A very minor one. Don't stress yourself over it ma'am." Hakuba said dismissively, he was poised to move already.

"What I just saw wasn't a minor one, was it?" she asked as someone bumped into her, not with enough force for her to fall, but she lost her grip onto Machibuse.

He caught her hand in his.

"Just remembered my meeting with Iida-san's older brother. Circumstances were far from ideal. We met at a funeral... soldiers die ma'am." Hakuba admitted.

"I assume you don't want to tell me the details." Momo said looking down, she now felt like her questioning had done more harm than good. She instinctively started pulling her hand back.

He squeezed her hand gently.

"We need to move."

-.

 **March 5th, U.A. Highschool Main Building, Class 1-A, 1300.**

Panic had passed, Iida somehow managing to turn the situation around with a litte help from Uraraka. Apparently, the reporters camped at the gate managed to pass through the barrier around the school campus and that caused the alarm to go haywire.

It took Machibuse a few moments to let go of Yaoyorozu's hand after the panic, they had almost made it outside by using the employees access in the kitchen when the alarm stopped.

His face was impassive as usual they made their way to class, she wanted to apologize for her intrusion but he stopped her midsentence.

"Friends worry for each other ma'am." Machibuse said with a small bow, he allowed himself a short-lived smile as he spoke. This lifted an enormous weight from her shoulders.

Everyone had made it back into class by now, once everyone was present, Class President Midoriya "Deku" Izuku had an official statement.

"I believe that Iida is better suited to be class president! We all saw how he led everyone throughout that crisis."

Iida was left without words as Kirishima and Kaminari echoed Midoriya's thoughts. Yaoyorozu was left pondering whether or not that meant she was still vice-president.

"Whatever. Just get this over with. What a waste of time…" Aisawa muttered from inside his cocoon as Iida happily accepted his new position.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Sheesh this one was a rollercoaster, albeit a little short I feel. Combining it with the following one crossed my mind, but they didn't mesh all that well as single thing.  
Either way, last time I left you guys with the promise of a drawing. History cover, check it out. I've had this one drawing I've seen on reddit on my phone for months. Finally came around with a reason to style it.**_

 _ **Edit: I'm unsure whether or not people on the mobile can see the drawing in the cover, so I added a quick link to it, it actually is in far better resolution than the one pinned to this history, so if you want to take a look in detail that might be good.  
h-t-t-p-s-:-/-/-i-b-b-.-c-o-/-r-F-T-r-w-n-b (Just clear the -)**_


	6. This is not a drill!

**March 5th, U.A. Highschool Main Building, Class 1-A, 1305.**

"All right everyone, to your seats." Aisawa spoke. He waited a little more than usual to begin, due to All Might possibly showing up at the last moment. The Heroics teacher had spent most of the day in isolation for some reason.

"Now for today's basic hero training… the activities will be supervised by myself, All Might and one other teacher." Aisawa spoke once all the students sat down, he had to get things started even if All Might was a no show.

"So, umm… we doing what, exactly?" Sero asked promply, his question echoing the curiosity of all his classmates.

"Preparing you for disaster relief, from fires to floods." At that Aisawa pulled another card with a stylized font "Today is Rescue Training."

"Another rough day eh?" Kaminari asked away.

"Right!" Ashido quickly answered, pumped for the special class.

"Come on, this is what being a hero is all about!" Kirishima said with his usual grin while gently shaking the teen that sat in front of him as if to pass some of his excitement.

"I'll be right at home in a flood -gero" Asui said to herself. Machibuse noted how her, like many of his classmates would be at advantage in a rescue situation. Uraraka could clear debris with a single touch; Jiro, Shoji and Koda could locate victims quickly; Yaoyorozu had an all-purpose Quirk able to provide tools and equipment for any scenario.

Machibuse's Quirk at least could help with possible wounded, since he could synthesize chemicals to boost someone's natural immunologic response or blood clothing speed. Attacks of chemical or biological nature were also scenarios that would make him stand out, but he really hoped that it never came to that.

"Hey. I'm not done yet." their teacher glared, his hair flaring up slightly. Everyone was muted in an instant.

"It is up to each of you whether or not wear your costumes. Some might be ill-suited for this kind of activity. The training site is a bit remote, so we'll be going by bus. That's all, get ready." Aisawa concluded as he pressed the button that revealed nineteen suitcases.

"Machibuse, yours is still down at the Development Studio, feel free to pick it up." the teacher added. At that all students lined to take their gear, no one wanted to skip the chance to go out without their costumes. Hakuba got up and made haste to Hatsume's.

-.

 **March 5th, U.A. Highschool Parking Lot, 1345.**

"Line up according to your I.D. numbers. Fill those seats in orderly fashion" President Iida beckoned as Aisawa performed a quick check on their transport. Class 1-A surely had chosen the man born for the job.

Machibuse unsurprisingly had been the last one to arrive due to his need to stop by the Development Studio. All the details on his new gear, straps needing adjustment and such, had been ironed out by Mei. The engineer apparently locked herself in the studio during the panic of the lunch hour to work. Machibuse felt some pride in his choice of enlisting her help, Hatsume had proven to be very dependable, even if a little on the crazy side. By the time he arrived to pick his costume she had already started to work on something between fifteen and twenty plans for his utility quiver and had already begin tampering with one of his delivery arrows to see how they worked and what she could improve.

And of course she added a aiming reticle decal on the back of his right glove. Said she wanted to get her "brand" out. At least she made it in his costume's color pallet, painted it in a tame light gray instead of some showy color.

People were quick to notice the difference in Machibuse's gear. After some questioning it seemed more efficient to just show rather than tell.

"Aisawa-sensei, requesting permission to deploy gear." Machibuse spoke out, his homeroom teacher about to board the bus.

"Be quick about it, we are leaving in three minutes." he sighed already knowing that if he denied the request his students would not shut up about it.

With a nod Machibuse picked the compacted bow from his belt and pulled the triggering mechanism. Quickly the weapon took shape. Hakuba didn't bothered with drawing the bow this time, he just held it out for his classmates to see before triggering the folding device once more.

"Holy… They gave you a bow!?" Mineta asked shocked.

"Man, I'd look badass with a sword!" Kaminari stated as he swung an imaginary weapon, striking various action poses in the process.

"Quite impressive, monsieur. You think that the Support Department would be opposed to giving me a weapon just for aesthetic purposes?" Aoyama mused with a hand on his chin, likely picturing himself in some fabulous heroic scene.

"So that is what you discussed with Power Loader-sensei after our entrance exam, no wonder there was paperwork involved." Yaoyorozu observed as she gestured for the group to head towards the shuttle.

"The arrows are non-lethal ma'am. A delivery system for my chemicals actually." Machibuse explained as he pulled one arrow from his main quiver, handing it to Yaoyorozu. From what he observed during their first visit to the Development Studio, she was interested in the workings of hero gear or just of things in general. The nature of her Creation Quirk however made specialized gear very unnecessary for her.

She studied the projectile with great curiosity as they walked towards the bus, noting the thin vial and how it connected to various needles only about a half a centimeter long before handing it back to Machibuse.

"Apparently students need to go through a trail period before being allowed to carry weaponry, eighteen months from what I have heard. There are a few exceptions to that if a weapon is vital for a Quirk's use, like is the case of Snipe-sensei's. I was only allowed the permit because my recommendation came from a military facility, so unfortunately you are unlikely to get something like this soon Kaminari-san. Aoyama-san's may be possible if it is just a prop." Machibuse explained as they climbed into the bus, the arrow safety stored back into the quiver.

Quickly seated after they got into the vehicle, Class 1-A departed. Iida's scheme for their disposition within the vehicle busted by the internal layout of the buss, different from what he had envisioned.

Students enjoyed the down time to chat.

"Your Quirk resembles All Might's." Asui pointed out to Midoriya, causing him to freak out for some reason. This quickly brought the students to the topic of their Quirks.

"All Might doesn't end up in the nursery every other day though. But that sort of simple, strength-enhancing Quirk is awesome, you can do a lot of cool stuff with it!" Kirishima said as he reached out with his arm, hardening his skin.

"Not like my Hardening. I mean, it's good in a fight, but it's real boring."

"I think that's pretty neat, though. Your Quirk is more than fit enough for a pro." Midoriya offered, trying to get Kirishima's spirits up.

"Eh…" the red-head sighed dismissively, looking at his rigid skin.

Machibuse quickly grabbed his arm, causing people to jump. Kirishima could feel the pressure of the Chelicerae on his skin. When Machibuse let out there were marks of where he struck with the injectors, but no actual puncturing happened.

"I can knock a man out in less than a minute with these and yet I refused to even confront you. Kirishima-san, give yourself some credit." Machibuse spoke as he retracted the Chelicerae back into his palm.

With that Kirishima beamed a smile from ear to ear. He was visibly down after losing their mock battle yesterday.

"Thanks man! I still want to have a go at you, so be ready!" Kirishima exclaimed, the excitement in his voice now back to its usual level.

"In war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won." Machibuse answered with what appeared to be a quote, his face devoid of any expression as usual.

"…He is saying that he will only fight you if he can leverage some sort of advantage to ensure that he can't lose. It is a quote from Sun Tzu." Yaoyorozu explained, one eyebrow risen from the sudden eruditism. Machibuse only nodded.

"You are going to end up a really boring hero thinking like this -gero" Asui said flatly.

"I don't need to be flashy to be a good hero ma'am." Machibuse responded, not really denying that she was right.

"Call me Tsuyu." she requested

"That goes against my protocol." Machibuse declined.

"And?" Asui was clearly not convinced.

"Good thing my Navel Laser is both strong and cool. A perfect fit for a perfect hero." Aoyama pointed out, including himself into the conversation and breaking the stalemate.

"As long as you don't blow up your own stomach." Ashido pointed out much to his annoyance.

"Wanna talk strong and cool? That'd be Todoroki and Bakugo." she continued, causing Bakugo to turn away from the conversation.

"But with how unhinged he is Bakugo will never be popular." Asui once again spoke her mind.

"WHAT'D YOU SAY FROGFACE!? Bakugo shouted angrily

"My point." Tsuyu replied without even turning to face Bakugo. This just made him angrier. Hakuba's façade only persevered because of the mask, Asui had positively put a smile on his face with that comment.

The class continued to prod Bakugo's temperament for a while before the bus stopped. Aisawa got up as to address his students.

"Look sharp. We are here."

-.

 **March 5th, Unforseen Simulation Joint, 1435.**

The class was ecstatic. Their current location could only be compared to a full-blown amusement park.

"Here we have every kind of disaster and accident you can imagine. I designed this facility myself." Someone in a large space suit said as he or she came closer.

"Welcome to the Unforseen Simulation Joint!"

"It's the space hero, Thirteen! A hero specialized in rescue scenarios!" Midoriya said out loudly, introducing the incoming figure.

"Ooh, I love Thirteen!" Uraraka jumped in excitement along a few other students.

Machibuse, a clueless hero culture dolt, had no clue who this "Thirteen" was, but it seemed like a figure popular enough.

Thirteen approached the class after a short talk with Aisawa "Before we get started, let me point something out to you… As I'm sure many of you are aware about my Quirk: Black Hole. It can suck and tear anything appart."

"Yes, you have used it to save people in all sorts of disasters." Midoriya pointed out.

"Indeed… but there is a catch. My power can easily end someone's life, and I am sure that some of you have similar abilities. This super powered society of ours may seem stable, with its rules and regulations, but takes only one wrong move for someone to die. Aisawa's physical test showed the limits you can surpass with your Quirks, while All Might's battle training gave you insight on the respective danger your Quirks pose to others. This class is all about a giving you all a new perspective: how your Quirks can save lives." Thirteen proclaimed while gesturing towards the students.

"Your powers are not meant to harm, so I hope you all leave here today understanding that you are meant to help people." Thirteen finished to a round of applause from the students.

"HURDLE BACK AND DON'T MOVE! THIRTEEN, PROTECT THE STUDENTS!" Aisawa shouted taking everyone by surprise.

A black mist formed down at the main patio of the USJ, many figures making their way through it.

"THOSE ARE VILLAINS!" the teacher quickly dismissed the idea of this being something planned by U.A. while donning his trademark glasses.

"Thirteen and Eraserhead… According to the staff schedule I received All Might is supposed to be here as well." the mist spoke as it condensed into a silhouette vaguely human besides a lanky, pale man man with messy grayish hair and what seemed like human hands clasped over his body.

"We have come all the way here, with some many playmates and yet have not found All Might… I wonder if the death of some kids will bring him about?" the man said in a raspy voice, one crazed eye veering from between the fingers of the disembodied hand hiding his face.

Machibuse had seen that kind of look before, that man was a real threat.

"Sensei! There aren't any intruder sensors in here?" Yaoyorozu asked, her expression clearly troubled.

"Yes of course there are, but…" Thirteen started

"This is a coordinated attack, there are few people here and we are far away from the school… one of them must have a Quirk capable of suppressing the alarm." Todoroki concluded.

"They are after someone." Machibuse said, his eyes running from place to place as he studied the scenario.

"Thirteen, begin evacuating and try calling the school! Kaminari, try using your Quirk to signal for help." Aisawa ordered.

"Sensei, you can't fight them all head on! Eraserhead's fighting style isn't suited to…" Midoriya began, but his teacher interrupted him mid-sentence.

"No good hero is a one-trick pony." Aisawa said as he jumped towards the enemies.

Eraserhead was keeping his ground while the others turned to the door to escape.

The black mist quickly formed in front of the group.

"We can't have that." his voice came from somewhere inside the mist as it coalescended back into a human silhouette.

"Greetings, we are the League of Villains. We have come to this bastion of heroism to bring an end the Symbol of Peace." The mistman spoke.

"We were under the impression that All Might would be here in person but no matter. My role remains unchanged." he continued as the mist began spreading once more.

An arrow came forth, followed by the sound of an arm being swung and a loud boom.

Machibuse, Bakugo and Kirishima had struck.

"That was very close. Students though you may be, you are the best of the best…" the mistman continued, unfazed.

"Begone."

-.

 **March 5th, Unforseen Simulation Joint, Landslide Area 1445.**

" _Not my first choice for a partner, but I can hardly complain much…"_

Machibuse had fallen about a meter before landing in the uneven ground of the Landslide area, a quick roll made sure that his meeting with the floor was as smooth and painless as possible. Todoroki had fallen a few seconds later, a small amount of ice springing from his hand to break his fall.

The duo was surrounded by villains from all sides.

"Twenty-six targets. I can walk on ice without problem. I'll provide you cover." Machibuse said as he knocked an arrow on his bow.

Immediately after this the ground was frozen solid in a flash, the assailants too close to the origin point stuck to it. There were quicker ones that managed to dodge the attack, but their footing was severely compromised.

Those were quickly struck by arrows as Machibuse dashed away from Todoroki's position by about a meter, the Chelicerae on his feet digging into the frost. His arrows may have been designed to be non-lethal but still packed enough of a punch to send someone stumbling backwards, a target standing on ice in uneven terrain was easy prey.

Todoroki made quick work of anybody that stood in his way for too long, his attacks creating structures that Machibuse promptly exploited to strike from unexpected angles, dispatching of any stragglers either by arrow or by quickly closing the distance to strike with his chelicerae before retreating back into the ice. For a duo that had virtually zero intimacy they formed a very respectable fighting force: Todoroki quickly adapted his attacks to form more vertical structures with less distance between them as to give his partner a more adequate space for his maneuverability and hit-and-run fighting style, and Machibuse directing his focus towards those that came from Todoroki's left side, never leaving his partner's effective range for long and not once coming to close as to disrupt Todoroki's attack pattern.

"They are just thugs with Quirks they can't handle." Todoroki observed. The crowd that previously surrounded the duo had dwindled significantly.

"Noted. High-profile targets have already been incapacitated. Ten targets remaining." Machibuse responded before another arrow flew from his bow, impacting a male with an axe-like forearm that ran in their direction. The man fell face first moments later, sliding downhill on the ice past the duo as his muscles cramped.

"Nine targets remaining." he updated. "Permission to break protocol?"

Another wave of ice came from Todoroki's right side "Granted."

"I was actually looking forward to the rescue training. These shitheads are just boring." Machibuse spat, springing from one of the ice pillars before turning mid-air as he reached his target, his feet firmly planted into another villain's chest.

Todoroki rolled his eyes.

Not much later they finished with the stragglers. Todoroki making his way towards one villain that was trapped in his ice from the waist down.

"What makes you think that you can kill All Might? Tell me your plan." he threatened.

The captured target attempted to spit in his direction, but his lips blue from cold were not able to comply.

"Todoroki-san. Leave the intel gathering to me and get moving. By the time I'm done recovering some of my arrows I'll have synthesized a new payload." Machibuse said as his chelicerae sprung from his palm one by one, his tone threatening as he reached for his mask, pulling it down to his chin to reveal his face no longer impassive, his blood boiling.

"I will get him talking."

-.

 **March 5th, Unforseen Simulation Joint, Central Plaza, 1519.**

"Have you ever heard these words villain!?"

"GO BEYOND! PLUS ULTRA!"

-.

 **March 5th, Unforseen Simulation Joint, Mountain Area, 1520.**

The last few minutes were tense. Things took a turn for worse. Now that their defeat was clear the villain before Yaoyorozu and Jiro decided that he needed a way to secure his escape.

"Get over there and don't move a muscle." The villain ordered.

"…I always though this about Kaminari but… You electric-types. You are all natural-born winners, yeah?" Jiro spoke, sweating bullets as the enemy in front of them held Kaminari prisoner.

"What are you…?" Yaoyorozu questioned, confused about her friends change in behavior.

From the corner of her eye she saw what Jiro was up to. One of her Headphone Jacks was slowly inching towards the subwoofer on her boot. She planned a surprise attack.

"Thought I wouldn't notice what you are up to? It'd take a real idiot to fall for this trick, kid." The villain spoke, his hand closing around Kaminari's neck. Jiro's ploy had beed discovered.

"Heroes in training should take hostage situations more seriously. If you two come quietly I will let this block-head go. What will be your lives or his?" he continued, making his way towards the girls slowly.

Yaoyorozu then saw something on the cliff face behind the assaulter. It quietly made it's way down and to his left.

She knew what to do.

Something quickly flew behind his head.

" _Hey, cheese brain!"_ a voice came from somewhere his right. The villain quickly turning his head could only see what looked like a electronic speaker affixed to a shaft.

His face met the heel of Machibuse's tabi with great force as he turned to his left, forcing him to reel back and drop his hostage. Cavalry had arrived.

Yaoyorozu quickly whipped her arm, releasing a hook tied to a rope from her skin. With a single motion she fished the insulating cape and threw it over the skull-headed villain as Machibuse hooked an arm around Kaminari and dove back. If the enemy was an electric-type then quirk was harmless from within the rubber clothing.

The villain had barely managed to push the trapping away before being blasted unconscious by Jiro's subwoofer.

Silence. It was over.

"Ma'am, Lieutenant." Machibuse said once the situation was under control. The silly smile drawn on his mask and the quote that followed completely unfitting of his otherwise serious demeanor.

"I'm here."

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Aaaaand bam! Crisis averted!**_

 _ **Not much to add down here really, but I've been looking forward to an opportunity of getting a few odd bits from Hakuba's character, so I'll just slap them in here.**_

 _ **I wanted to use Horikoshi's naming system for him. Hakuba's family name, Machibuse, means "Ambush" or "To perform an ambush" referring to his tactical approach to combat scenarios and general unwillingness to fight head-on. His given name translates to "White Horse".**_

 _ **Hakuba's favorite food is curry, he dislikes sour foods.**_

 _ **His birthday, January 8th is a reference to Emporio Ivankov from One Piece. The Horu Horu no mi was my inspiration to go for a Quirk related to biochemistry.**_

 _ **The pockets in his ballistic vest are contain bottles filled with different kinds of chemicals in the form of tablets, the tablets range from things like caffeine to even morphine. They are consumed as to allow him a wider variety of possible chemical payloads. They are color codded as to identify what is what and the bottle strapped to the vest contains regular tap water for him to down the tablets.**_

 _ **And for the stat block many characters have I'd give him: Power 2/5, Speed 4/5, Technique 5/5, Intellect 4/5 and Cooperativeness 3/5.**_

 _ **Until next time!**_


	7. The things we cherish

**March 5th, Unforseen Simulation Joint, 1545.**

The situation was now under control. The teachers arrived minutes after All Might sent the bioengineered Nomu flying through the USJ's dome. The two leaders, the warp gate and the man covered in hands, had escaped but all their goons had been subdued and captured without much effort by the pros.

The students were now watching as the assailants were carted away by the police. Thirteen and Eraserhead were quickly moved to Intensive Care. The battle had been much less kind to them than to their pupils, Thirteen had her Black Hole used against her by the mist man, now identified as Kurogiri, and Aisawa had been brutally mauled by the Nomu.

Neither were at risk, but this confrontation would leave lasting scars on both.

All Might was rushed to Recovery Girl alongside Izuku. As usual Midoriya had broken something while using his Quirk. The other students were mostly fine, a few cuts and bruises was all the damage incurred. Class 1-A had survived their first encounter with evil.

They were about to be taken back to the school's main building by one of the police officers as the man who seemed to be in charge of the investigation prepared to leave as well.

"Officer, Sir." Machibuse called him, breaking from the line that boarded the bus.

"Huh, something you need…?" the man in the trenchcoat began, his hand signaling to the officer in charge of the bus that he would handle this.

"Machibuse Hakuba, tenth seat of class 1-A, Sir. I managed to extract some intel regarding the invaders during the incident. Asking for permission to report." Machibuse spoke, his posture rigid as he dealt with an officer of the law.

The man was a little surprised by the protocol-like speech of the teen that stood in front of him "Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa." he introduced himself. After a short moment to think the detective spoke to cat-headed officer that led the rest of class 1-A into the bus. "Sansa. I will be taking young Machibuse with me back to the school grounds, I still need to speak to All Might. I will leave the others in your care."

Sansa nodded back as he waited to enter the bus, all the other nineteen students already making their way inside by their seat order. Yaoyorozu was the last to board, her eyes meeting Machibuse's briefly as he assured her that he knew what he was doing with a slight nod.

"Come then, Machibuse-san. Give me the report on the way." Tsukauchi said with a soft smile on his face as he watched the brief interaction between the two students. He led Machibuse to his car and drove off to U.A.

-.

 **March 5th, U.A. Highschool Main Building, Class 1-A, 1650.**

Machibuse had detailed to Tsukauchi about what he learned from the villain he questioned. All the assailants besides the two leaders were low level thugs brought together by this "League of Villains" by the intermedium of a broker named "Giran" just for this one strike, so they knew very little about the League's plan. That they referred to the man with hands clasped on his body as their leader, "Shigaraki Tomura", and that his goal was to kill All Might, but gave no reason as to why.

Tsukauchi noted the information, he had heard of the broker "Giran" before. He also warned Machibuse to not use his Quirk as a means of interrogation, he was only a student and, while using his powers for self defense in that situation was allowed, he had crossed a line he was not supposed to. The detective gave him a pass on that one and thanked Machibuse with a sincere laugh afterwards, saying that he looked forwards to the day he could count on the teen in the field.

The two had then parted ways after he heard from Recovery Girl that Midoriya would be just fine in a few hours and now Hakuba was left alone. Machibuse was sitting at his desk while he waited for his classmates to come, the vehicle he had taken being allowed more speed than the bus caused him to arrive some time earlier, so he had plenty of time to change out of his costume and walk back to class.

A few moments of peace and quiet.

His eyes a little heavy, the whole ordeal had him exhausted, physically and mentally.

"…and then I blew that dickhead's face all the way to next Sunday! Fucking trash just wasting my time!"

The remainder of class 1-A had arrived. His peace and quiet now distant.

"Oh, Machibuse-san, you are already here." Iida spoke as they entered. The group was still in their costumes, officer Sansa had rushed them to the classroom just in case something was brought up and their testimony was needed.

Machibuse just nodded, standing up briefly to welcome his class mates.

"Any news from Deku-kun and All Might?" Uraraka asked, taking her seat besides Hakuba.

"Midoriya-san has broken a leg and a finger due to his Quirk. Recovery Girl informed me that he would be released from her office today still. I have nothing to report on All Might-sensei's condition, ma'am." Machibuse responded, his classmates seemed battered by the event the same way he was.

There was a stillness in the room.

"One moment from your attention, please." Officer Sansa called, he held a radio in his hand. "I've been updated by detective Tsukauchi on the situation. The information he received previously will suffice for now, so you are free to change back and head home. I've also been informed that the school grounds will be closed tomorrow, so at least you earned a day to rest. Thank you for your cooperation." The policeman continued as he bowed and made his way to the door.

The students bowed in return, thanking him for his service as they soon followed, a few finding some solace on the fact that they would have a day to spare at least.

Soon the class was mostly empty, Machibuse, Shoji, Ashido, and Yaoyorozu the only ones left. All besides Machibuse who was sitting back, were still in their costumes, with the numbered suitcases in hand.

"Shoji-san, go on, I'll wait for you guys to get changed by the main gate. Heading home together is a good way to end a day like this." Machibuse offered.

The taller student nodded, his only visible eye softening. He also made a point to usher Ashido out as he made his way much to her protesting. She had heard from Jiro that Machibuse had saved them from a really tight spot during the attack, and in her mind there was only one possible outcome from leaving Yaoyorozu alone with him right now.

They didn't spoke for a while.

"You two get along very well." Yaoyorozu observed, cutting the silence that followed the door closing.

"Some people just click, ma'am." Machibuse said as he got up, pushing his chair to his desk. Yaoyorozu was visibly nervous.

She made a short pause, her eyes meeting the floor. She was… shaking?

"Machibuse-san… H-Hakuba, I…" Yaoyorozu stuttered, it was the first time he ever saw her like this.

"…Thank you." Momo spoke, her eyes avoiding Machibuse. Something was off.

"No need to thank me, ma'am." Machibuse spoke, he studied her, albeit carefully as to not look too much into her outfit.

She swallowed, quickly bowing and making her way to the door.

"Ma'am, I will not press the issue if you do not want to talk about it." Machibuse called out.

She stopped by the doorstep.

"It's nothing. Now go, don't leave Shoji-san waiting." She said with a smile before making her way out.

She was a worse liar than he.

-.

 **March 5th, Machibuse Residence, 1900.**

Ashido and Kirishima only accompanied them to half the way before switching trains. The overly romantic teen had come to Machibuse with a large smile, expecting some news about the developments. Machibuse knew that she would not get off his case unless he gave her some kind of response. He opted for just shaking his head lightly with his eyes closed. Whatever happened in that classroom was not what Ashido wanted to hear and bringing the apparent issue up without Yaoyorozu's consent was something that he preferred not to do.

Ashido was visibly disgruntled by his response. Kirishima had absolutely no clue as to what just happened.

Machibuse was very glad that Shoji didn't pilled on the issue, he just offered a casual "is everything ok?" kind of question to which Machibuse just sighed unknowingly.

Hakuba was currently sitting on top of his kitchen counter as he watched a bowl of food slowly spinning inside the microwave. The glass window acting as a mirror, so he could study his own face for answers. His cellphone was being loosely held on one of his hands, Yaoyorozu's contact info on display. Was he supposed to have contacted her by now? He wanted to contact her. Hell, I he knew where she lived he would be on his way already… He was worried, but she went to the trouble of going through that poor excuse of a lie just to keep him in the dark.

Was it something that he wasn't supposed to know? Could she not trust him?

 _*Ding*_

"…"

Even his dinner tasted bland. God dammit.

The attack on the USJ was on the news as he ate, his class being praised as real heroes as clips of the security cameras were playing in the background. U.A. apparently had went to great lengths about divulging the right clips: Aisawa and Thirteen were never shown after falling; his only appearance was during his fight alongside Todoroki, hiding away the fact that he pretty much readily tortured a man afterwards; Midoriya was only seen from far enough so that people wouldn't notice his finger bending in the opposite direction it was supposed to; and Yaoyorozu was never shown dealing with the hostage situation.

The scoop closed with a very impressive display of All Might's power. No wonder that he could feel the ground shaking on his way to the Mountain Area. The Symbol of Peace was an absolute Olympian.

Had something happened to her back at the USJ? She seemed nervous but okay by the time he they got split as he entered Tsukauchi's car.

"Fucking hell, woman…" Hakuba said out loud. No one answered since as usual he was alone in his apartment. Every time his father gave him advice on women in the past it turned out to be some corny nonsense, but even that would have been welcome right now.

Hakuba was tired, but his chances of sleeping right now were about the same of Yaoyorozu showing at his doorstep with an explanation.

He got dressed, just some old t-shirt and the black trackpants he wore to the entrance exam.

Shoji actually had told him that there was a park somewhere nearby during their way to U.A. this morning but didn't specified where said park was supposed to be.

"Got fuck else to do. Might as well find the stupid park…"

Hakuba ran.

-.

 **March 6th, Machibuse Residence, 1130.**

Not Hakuba's finest night of sleep, failing on finding the park Shoji told him about after three hours split between running and jogging just got him to sleep with an even worse mood. The real kick in the balls however was having Yaoyorozu showing up in his dreams. He had been brought up from his slumber three times, once because of her just as he fell asleep for the first time at around 0020. The other two were Hatsume Mei calling him at 0240 by accident and his alarm ringing at 0700.

He hardly could blame Yaoyorozu for intruding his dreamscape, but that didn't stop Hakuba from trying.

His day off had begun, but routine was routine, so he got up and began his exercises.

On his way to the bathroom Hakuba noticed how the hallway box was shifted to the side. He vaguely remembered stumbling his toe on it as he made his way to his bed yesterday.

"Seriously, what is in there?" he asked the box as if the container was capable of answering.

One quick shower later Machibuse made his way to the kitchen, the hallway box tucked under his arm. Curiosity had beaten his laziness.

Water was set to boil, he felt like having noodles today for a change.

One chelicera sprung from his palm and the cardboard box was soon cut open.

"Oh…"

He made his way to his room to pick up his cellphone, he looked for this thing a few times in his room already, never crossed his mind to look elsewhere.

 _Lieutenant Jiro,_

 _Found it._

 _Target was in a box, but not one in my room._

 _Your Captain, over._

Hakuba then resumed cooking, he accidentally had found something to do on his day off. About ten minutes later he received a reply from Jiro.

 _Nice one Captain_

 _Can't do it today tho. Family wants to have a talk about the USJ stuff -.-_

 _Over._

Machibuse sighed, the USJ incident once more butting into his social life.

He looked back at the opened box.

"Family huh… Don't think that they would mind me coming over now that I'm here at Honshu…been a while."

-.

 **March 6th, Aichi Prefecture, Café nearby Nagoya Central Station, 1600.**

What was supposed to be a quick meeting just to hand some notes on an incoming math test turned into a pleasing evening. Yaoyorozu met with Tsuyu and Ashido about an hour ago and now the three of them were at a café closest to their original meeting point. The homely establishment had a large window that gave ample view of the main platforms of the station so people who were waiting for someone could quickly spot the arrivals or people who just said their goodbyes could wave at the departures.

It was a welcome change of pace, Yaoyorozu's last twenty-four hours weren't the most pleasing, a lot had gone through her mind.

"Hey, Momo-chan." Ashido spoke just finishing a sweet she had ordered "About Machibuse…"

Yaoyorozu was expecting that question sooner or later. Admittedly she became much friendlier with her fellow recommended student than she expected in a single week.

 _"Some people just click, ma'am."_

"I don't really want to talk about it, Mina-chan…" she sighed dismissively as his words yesterday echoed in her mind, it had been clear that he wasn't only referring to Shoji.

"Momo-chan…" Asui called.

"Tsuyu-chan, please." Yaoyorozu insisted.

Tsuyu didn't say anything else, instead she pointed towards the station's arrivals platform.

Machibuse Hakuba just stepped out of a train and was currently planted in front a map with his cellphone in hand, likely studying a route to take. He carried what looked like an instrument case on his back.

"Ohh, you could have told us that you guys had a date! Sorry for keeping you, ma'am!" Ashido mimicked his usual addressing but failed to keep her excitement down.

Yaoyorozu looked puzzled as her "date" moved away from the map and walked towards a small flower shop, picking up a small number of a few different flowers before heading out the station. It was a modest arrangement, mostly white with a sunflower nested in the middle.

"Ok, he got music and flowers, it is getting hard to disagree with Mina-chan right now -gero" Tsuyu pointed out.

Yaoyorozu quickly rushed her friends to the counter, the girls still had to pay their tab.

"He doesn't even know I live here!"

-.

 **March 6th, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, 1630.**

Machibuse stopped by a bus stop near the station but decided against taking the transport once it had arrived, likely too crowded for his liking. Nagoya was a big city, the crowd made it easy to follow anybody.

Unfortunately, Machibuse wasn't anybody. He was quick on his feet, taking absolute care to avoid bumping into someone and ruin the floral arrangement while keeping an uncomfortably faster pace than normal. They could not run as that would draw his attention but slowing down too much would make so that he got away. At least the sunflower made him easy to spot.

"We shouldn't be doing this -gero" Asui said as they continued walking

"Shh, he will hear you!" Ashido spoke back in a hushed tone "Aren't you curious?"

"Not really… we already walked like half an hour or something like that." Asui again said without bothering to keep her voice low.

The trio had been tailing Machibuse for a while now, but something was off to Yaoyorozu. He had cut corners here and there, but always made back to a main road, either he was lost or trying to lose them.

Possibly both.

They were steering farther the main road by now, there were less people on the street, so the girls had to be on their toes every second and on top of that he still hasn't slowed his pace down, Yaoyorozu knew that he had a stupid amount of stamina and that he could boost that even further with his Quirk. Having to keep up with him while not attracting attention was starting to wear them down.

Yaoyorozu barely talked during their impromptu mission. Millions of possibilities passed inside her head. She heard Machibuse and Jiro talking about music yesterday between the morning classes. Had he come to see her? No, Jiro was from the Shizuoka area if she remembered correctly, and she wasn't the type to take flowers… Someone from his last school? No, from what Machibuse told her the classes were divided between boys and girls, said that he barely had a chance to talk it the girls from his year… Had he met someone online? Why did it even matter?

Sure, he looked nice and they got along very well, but wasn't like that. She assumed it to be because of curiosity as she barely knew a thing about him...

"Do you think it is that girl from the Support Department? She didn't look bad." Ashido asked Asui, but the frog girl was barely paying attention anymore.

Momo tensed.

Was that it? She knew nothing about Hatsume Mei besides the praises Machibuse spoke of her work. Ashido was right about her not looking bad. She seemed a little odd, but Machibuse definitely wasn't the most normal guy out there so that was hardly an issue. According to what he explained from their little prank she had given her number to him, so it wasn't farfetched to think that she gave him her address, especially if there was something other than a designer-hero relationship. And that prank… how much of it was really a prank!? Had Hatsume really invited him for something personal!? And what if she had!? It is not like Yaoyorozu could just walk up in the middle of their business!

Why this pained her so much!?

He took another turn. They followed still. The road was now becoming a little less populated and more inclined.

He stopped in front of a house. A small shop it seemed. Machibuse didn't enter, just bowed and kept walking after saying something.

"Asking for information again? Really?" Ashido asked, she now realized that he could've been lost, and they were following like idiots.

"Can we stop? This is like the longest slope in the city -gero" Asui complained, they had a long way uphill if they intended to follow. She had been adamant in giving up on this little quest for a while now.

Something clicked on Yaoyorozu's mind. This road… Machibuse's white and yellow bouquet…

"…He is going to the graveyard." she stopped dead in her tracks, her mind completely flushing whatever nonsense she previously had in mind.

"Oh…" Ashido couldn't hide her uneasiness with how the situation turned.

Asui turned around and started walking, she was now both tired and sad. "Come Mina-chan, we can get a bus back to the station from the last street." she grasped Ashido's hand, pulling her along

"Momo… you…" Ashido began but Tsuyu interrupted her.

"Machibuse-chan knew that we were following all along -gero. Every time we started to lose his pace he would stop to ask for directions." Asui bluntly said out loud.

"Why did he…" Ashido's eyes shot open. When she turned to speak to Yaoyorozu she noticed that Machibuse had stopped walking. He was looking at the trio from about fifty meters uphill, his face hard to see, but likely unexpressive as usual. He motioned for someone to follow with his head. He motioned for Momo to follow.

Yaoyorozu looked at him directly. Her lips trembled softly as she realized how far she had intruded. She felt like trash, not only had she completely overstepped the boundaries of her friendship with him, but she had the guts to do so while envisioning all the worst possible scenarios for all the worst reasons. She was worse than trash right now.

Had she just burned a friendship most treasured down to crisp for petty jealously?

"I will apologize to him tomorrow. Go…" Ashido lowered he head slightly as she gave Yaoyorozu a gentle push.

Yaoyorozu couldn't just walk away this time.

-.

 **March 6th, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, Yagoto Cemetery, 1705.**

He had kept a set distance from her all the way up the hill, his pace was back to normal, but he quickly scaled it back up if she ever tried to get too close. Yaoyorozu only reached Machibuse once he stopped in front of a set of tombstones. A tall tree providing some shade for the memorials, seemed like a sakura tree that had yet to bloom.

 _Machibuse Hakaku_

 _Machibuse Kagome_

"I was eleven the last time I came here." Hakuba finally spoke to her. There was no protocol, his face clearly saddened as he attempted to keep his usual composure as he placed the flowers in the ground between both graves, he proceeded to pull a small flask from his pocket which he poured over only one of the tombstones. "Sake. My father hated the stuff since his Quirk made so that he couldn't get drunk. Mother had a liking for it though... She was born here in Nagoya and only moved to Okinawa during highschool. Her mother wanted her daughters resting place to be here."

He lowered the case he carried to the ground and kneeled, then gestured for Momo to come by his side.

" _The other way around. I had to attend to something in the main island, your brother was attending as well, Iida-san."_

" _Just remembered my meeting with Iida-san's older brother. Circumstances were far from ideal. We met at a funeral... soldiers die ma'am."_

Her hands covered her mouth, her eyes watered as the words he spoke back in the cafeteria came crashing back. It took Yaoyorozu a few seconds to muster courage to comply. She already invaded such an intimate moment and yet he invited her further.

"This is Momo, she studies with me at U.A. She is… special." Hakuba introduced her once she was at his side.

They remained there in silence for a few minutes, the sounds of birds and of the rustling leaves filling the void.

"I'm sorry…" her eyes gave out, tears started running down he cheeks "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

Hakuba's arms quickly warped around her, one knee propped up to keep them from tumbling, Momo cried loudly with her face buried on his chest as she continued to apologize between her sobs, her hands tugging on his clothes desperately.

"How can you hold me like this!? First I start poking around your life! Then I lied to you after you just saved my life! Then this!" she broke in tears, trying to push Hakuba away, but at the same time her grip on his clothes got tighter.

He continued to hold her close, his chin rested on top of her head as she slowly calmed down.

There was another minute of silence once her cries finaly came to a stop, the birds were gone however, scared by the sudden noise.

"…"

"…"

"You suck at this you know?" Yaoyorozu spoke as she looked up after the silence had remained for too long. Her eyes still puff but her expression otherwise flattened.

"I'm well aware, ma'am. I apologize." Hakuba's tone had come back to the usual protocol but he had yet to let her go. "You are not crying anymore, that's what matters to me." he looked downwards, his forehead pressed against hers for a moment by accident, their noses brushing slightly.

"Why though? Why you don't hate me after all that?" Momo asked again, quickly hiding her face in his clothes, the sudden contact caused her to blush.

"You go first ma'am. What you wanted to tell me yesterday? Why lie?" Machibuse questioned her as he slowly moved back to a distance more comfortable for both of them, he slowly turned to deal with the case he had brought.

"I really wanted to thank you for helping out with Kaminari being taken hostage… I felt so useless then, I am supposed to be strong but… I was terrified." Yaoyorozu spoke as she shifter her position, instead of kneeling she now sat down hugging her knees, she needed somewhere to bury her reddened face. "I am afraid that you will end up thinking less of me because I'm weak…" she muttered from between her knees, her eyes fixed in a point away from him.

It felt good to let that out, Momo barely was keeping herself together since she left the classroom.

The sound of a string vibrating caused her to turn her head towards Hakuba, he was tuning a shamisen.

"My father was from the Medical Corps. He taught the basics at the Military Academy as well, first aid techniques and such… He worked a lot. He was very passionate for music but never had the time to really go after it. I can still remember his face when I told him that I had made it into the Academy's band…" Machibuse explained as he looked to the tombstone.

"This happened before he ever had a chance to see me play." he added with a sigh as he continued tuning the instrument.

"So you came here to show him." Yaoyorozu concluded, a smile now on her lips.

"I consider myself more proficient with the taiko than I am with the shamisen, but there are logistic problems with bringing something that big up here." Machibuse nodded.

She chuckled a little.

"Regardless… You are not weak. The thought never once crossed my mind. You are smarter than me, your Quirk is immensely powerful, and you are a natural born leader. You, no…we are still learning, you can't hope to get thrown into a hostage situation during a surprise attack on the third day of learning how-to-hero and be at your maximum." Machibuse spoke calmly as he finished tuning the second string of his instrument.

""We"? You didn't look like an amateur back in the USJ… I saw the footage on the news yesterday." Yaoyorozu pointed out.

"I have been trained to fight from very early on… She was in the Special Ops." Machibuse gestured towards his mother's tombstone "She pounded a ton of combat knowledge into me since I learned how to make a fist. Quite literally… I am talking about being a hero... I got a warning from the police because of how I handled one villain, that's how bad it was on my side."

"What did you do?" she rose an eyebrow.

"Intel gathering." he answered vaguely. Yaoyorozu decided not to press for details.

"Hakuba…" she called his first name "You still haven't answered my question…"

"I'm unsure ma'am, couldn't bring myself to. A combination of admiration and something else I don't know entirely. It simply felt wrong for me to not have your company anymore." he finally answered as he started to play the instrument he had so carefully prepared.

"Something else huh… Yeah I guess…" Momo spoke more to herself than to Hakuba as she scuttled closer, leaning into his shoulder as he played. For the moment she forgot that she was sitting in a graveyard, everything just felt right for once as she closed her eyes.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: And now the proverbial cat is out of the box. I wanted to get this piece of Hakuba's character out before we moved on to the next arcs, since they are a little too fast paced for something more emotional like this.**_

 _ **Yoshida Brother's "My Heart Holds" was the music I had in mind for the ending.**_

 _ **Hakuba's parents names translate to White Crane (Hakaku) and Lost (Kagome).**_

 _ **I actually wrote this piece two times over, the first one didn't feel natural.**_

 _ **Moving on to the sports festival!**_


	8. The road to the Festival I

**March 7th, Machibuse Residence, 0715.**

As much it pained Hakuba to get out of bed, he had already allowed himself an additional fifteen minutes of rest since his alarm first rang. He had slept wonderfully as yesterday had been a very good day by his books.

He had visited his parents graves, something that was very comforting to his spirit. His one and only time prior had been a quick goodbye on the day following their funeral as he had to return to Okinawa on the same day and that never sat down right with him.

Ashido would finally get of his back with her romanticizing, or at least she would tone her dial a little lower. As much as Hakuba liked her cheerfulness and how she wanted to bring everyone together, he antics were starting to become a nuisance. Still, he felt some remorse about leading the girls on a chase like that, he had spotted Ashido's characteristic pink skin the moment he stepped into the arrivals platform and he could have easily walked to them and said that they were intruding on something personal. That would had saved their time and his.

Had him done this however, his friendship with Momo would have likely been damaged further. While set up and location were both way much less than ideal, their little heart-to-heart ended up being just the thing to end their quarrel. They had both blow things out of proportion, she with her fear of losing his appreciation and him with how he handled being denied an answer. In the end they were both just two idiots who couldn't understand what they really felt for one another. They still are.

Turned out that they barely spoke much for how long they were together on that hill, only a few comments and jabs at one another over the forty or so minutes they were there. It was very hard for Hakuba to lose track of time like that. Maybe it was the music, maybe it was the physical contact they enjoyed from one another… both of them were rather strict when it came down to personal space, so having her leaning on his shoulder as her hand every so often traced to over his back, shyly following the rhythm of the accords, was… something.

They likely would have stayed for longer, but the staff had come to inform them about the closing times and such, their little moment killed off by someone that just had to do their job. They ended up making the track down the hill arm-in-arm without really paying much attention and that caused somewhat awkward silence as they needed head different ways, Momo to her house and Hakuba off to the train station.

He had spent a full day with no Bakugo and no Mineta.

And he actually found that stupid park that Shoji had told him about on his way back from the grocery store, so that was a small win on its own.

Todoroki would've likely had made to the list of problematic classmates if it wasn't for their impromptu team up two days ago. Hakuba still felt like Tororoki had less of a personality than his microwave, yes, but the quality of their teamwork had built a quasi-amicable respect between the two. Much to Hakuba's surprise, Todoroki for once bothered to interact with him. The quiet teen just gave Hakuba a short nod before leaving class after they returned from the USJ. No hands were shook, no words were spoken, but Machibuse was willing to take what he could get.

Hakuba was now left to wonder what a team composed of the three recommended students in 1-A would be capable of as he got up to his morning routine. Today was going to be a busy one.

-.

 **March 7th, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 0850.**

Machibuse had arrived in class a little later than usual. A little more spring in his step made sure that his fifteen minutes of laziness didn't turned on him. He had actually run into Uraraka as he made his way uphill towards the campus, she usually was one of the last students to arrive, so it didn't surprise him too much to see her rushing. Their small talk a little on the awkward side but it was a pleasant way to begin the school day.

Uraraka was someone Machibuse didn't spoke much with even though they sat side by side in class, not that they didn't liked each other, their mindsets just worked in directions completely opposite to one another and that made dialog somewhat clunky most of the time; she wore her emotions on her sleeve and Machibuse had a code to adhere to. Uraraka still seemed to him like an adorable bundle of sunshine however.

The duo were the last students to arrive in class, now it was just a mater of time for their substitute teacher to arrive. People in class were very curious about who would cover for Aisawa since the USJ incident had him out of commission for a while a least. Machibuse couldn't help but ponder the same.

"Hey, Machibuse…" someone called him as he made way to his seat in the back of class. He turned around to meet the voice. It was Ashido's.

"I'm sorry for yesterday… it wasn't really my idea, but I kinda pushed Momo to do it." she spoke somewhat uncomfortably, trying to keep a small smile up as he fidgeted her fingers. She clearly wasn't one used to do much apologizing.

"No harm done, ma'am. Normally I'd enjoy the company, but that wasn't a good moment. I apologize for making you follow me instead of just explaining the situation." Machibuse offered with a small bow.

"Please, don't apologize… I know that I've been bothering you. Sorry for ruining things…" her smile fell apart as she now looked at the floor

" _Fuck I don't want her to be sad… god damnit Ashido."_ Hakuba thought as she slowly started to return to her seat.

"Ashido-san." he called.

She faced him with a resigned smile as she tried to go back to her usual happy semblance.

Hakuba shot a quick glance at Momo, who had been discussing some class rep business with Iida for a while now, and then returned to Ashido with a visible sigh.

"Don't lose hope, ma'am." he suggested. As much as Ashido's nosy interest inconvenienced him from time to time, he would gladly give up on having her to stop if it meant that she would be happy.

Her smile was back as if it had never left.

Not a minute later the bell rung, class was about to start.

"Everyone to your seats! Morning Homeroom class is about to start!" Iida called out, his hands up as to bring everyone's attention.

Unfortunately for Class President Tenya Iida he was the only one still not seated. Took him a while to realize that as he panicked to his seat clearly embarrassed.

The door slid open. Who's it gonna be?

"Morning." A muffled voice said as what seemed like a mummy slowly made way to the front desk.

"YOU ARE BACK ALREADY AISAWA SENSEI!?" the class basically shouted in unison.

" _No, seriously someone call the hospital, he must have escaped somehow."_ Machibuse had an incredulous look on his face, but people were too busy with Aisawa's situation to notice.

"Glad to see you doing well, sensei!" Iida spoke as his arm shot up. Apparently he was watching a scene different from the rest of the class as their teacher wobbled.

"My welfare isn't important right now. Your fight if far from over." Aisawa opened with a very intense tone. Something bad happened? An update on the villains who escaped USJ? Was the alarm about to go off?

"U.A.'s Sports Festival is on the horizon." The teacher explained. His students breaking with the absolutely unnecessary tension he created.

Machibuse a vague notion of what U.A.'s Sports Festival was. He knew it was big, it had sports in it and that it was hosted by U.A… Yes, it was a pretty vague notion. He did never bother with actually watching the event for long enough to see what it was all about even if his school back in Okinawa allowed a day off so that the students could watch it. He usually took the day to sleep to his heart's content or something like, these kind of events never really interested him.

"Come on! We just have been attacked by villains! You sure this is a good idea?" Kaminari asked shocked with the news.

"It is necessary to show that U.A.'s crisis protocols are sound. That's the thinking apparently. Security will be five times as strong compared to previous years. Anyhow, this is the greatest opportunity you will get. It is not an event that can be called down because of villains." Aisawa explained the situation, some students agreeing more than others.

"You sure about that?" Mineta asked in denial.

"Mineta… are you telling me you never watched U.A.'s Sports Festival!?" Midoriya turned around with a uncanny look of disbelief in his face.

"Of course I have. Its just…" the short teen responded.

" _Oh great, I am lower than Mineta in the scale now…"_ Machibuse thought, his façade visibly confused about the whole deal.

"Our Sports Festival is one of the biggest events in Japan! The Olympics were once the world's sports festival, the whole country would frenzy over them. But since the advent of Quirks that tradition has shrunk… as far as Japan is concearned, what has taken the place of the Olympics is U.A.'s Sports Festival!" Aisawa justified.

" _Dope."_ Hakuba thought ironically, still not seeing why the event had priority over security.

"All of the nations top heroes will be watching, right? They will be there as scouts." Yaoyorozu spoke, revealing to Machibuse what had Aisawa and the school so determined to keep the event going.

That didn't sound promising.

"They will be looking to hire us as sidekicks after we graduate! That's how we make a name for ourselves." Kaminari pointed out to Jiro, who just hit him with a comment about how he was going to be a sidekick forever, much to his chagrin.

"You will gain valuable experience and even popularity if you are picked-up by a big-name hero. Show the pros what you are made of there and you will make a future for yourselves… this event happens only once a year, so you have only three chances. If you are hoping to become a hero this is an event you can't miss!" the teacher concluded with unfitting enthusiasm.

" _Oh fuck."_

-.

 **March 7th, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 1200.**

"That got me so freaking pumped!" Kirishima almost shouted as people started to get up for lunch.

"Yeah! If we show the big guns in the event it's a big step towards going pro!" Sero responded, his excitement being echoed by most of the students in the room.

Uraraka was visibly shaking, maybe she was not looking forward to seeing the crowd as well…

"EVERYONE! I'M GONNA CRUSH THIS!" the usually bubbly girl proclaimed menacingly while striking a pose with her fist high in the air.

…Or maybe she was.

"You intend on skipping lunch?" a voice came from his side. Machibuse was so focused on the prospect of participating in the event that he failed to notice Shoji walking up to him.

"You have been acting weirder than normal. I thought that your issues from two days ago had been solved by the talk you had with Ashido earlier." Shoji spoke as he sprouted an eye to confirm whether or not people were waiting for them.

"The issue from before has been dealt with. Just been thinking about this Sports Festival thing." Machibuse said as he got up and motioned for them to leave and not leave everyone waiting. Yaoyorozu, Kirishima, Ashido, Sero, and Jiro were by the doorway.

"I know that you usually are not a beacon of enthusiasm Captain, but you were making faces during the whole talk about the Sports Festival." Jiro said as the duo approached.

"Captain?" Sero asked confusedly as they stepped through the door.

"Lieutenant Jiro gave me the alias during our match in All Might-sensei's battle training Sero-san." Machibuse explained casually.

"…Lieutenant Jiro?" Sero asked again, now more confused than before.

"You and Kirishima were Orange Target and Red Target." Jiro added to the explanation, doing her best to sound as natural as possible to keep the joke going.

"We were what!?" Kirishima now spoke, the explanation they had provided just kept getting more and more bizarre.

"Can I be Pink Target?" Ashido pondered loudly.

"Answering your question Lieutenant, I'm legitimately confused about the Sports Festival procedures." Machibuse stated, ignoring the questions about the codenames.

"And why is that? The games are a little out there, but it is not hard to figure how it works just by watching." Yaoyorozu asked, pointing out as if the rules were obvious.

"Yeah, I especially for you and your protocol, I'd never imagined that you didn't get the procedure after watching it once." Ashido added.

There was a brief moment of silence.

"You never watched the festival." Yaoyorozu asserted, her tone deadpanned.

"I never watched the festival, ma'am." Machibuse confirmed as if his lack of knowledge about the event was standard practice.

Only Machibuse and Yaoyorozu continued walking, the others all too shocked by the news as they looked to each other pondering if Machibuse's time in the Military Academy was something akin to a boot camp without any connections to the outside world. They soon rejoined the two.

"I'm actually impressed that you managed to stay oblivious to the festival until now. The Sports Festival is one of the main reasons U.A. is so sought after by hero wannabees." Jiro pointed out.

"Yeah man, how the hell did you miss on that? It's like, one of the school's biggest selling points! I don't know how it is like for recommended students, but I got a briefing about what the school offered the day I registered to take the exam." Kirishima said, still baffled by the fact that they were even having this conversation.

"I can confirm the students from recommendation receive the same explanation, at least I did when I applied." Yaoyorozu nodded.

"I didn't apply personally. I was simply told that I was to take the test and succeed. My mother for some reason decided that I was to be a hero instead of a soldier and someone in the military dealt with the paperwork as far as I am aware." Machibuse explained to the group. Momo knew part of the story, but everything was news to the rest of the group.

"Your mother?" Yaoyorozu asked trying to not sound too confused, as far as she knew Hakuba's mother has been dead for over four years by now. He didn't answer but a subtle gesture from his head towards the group signaled her that now it was not the time to talk about his parents. She would ask him later.

"So you don't want to be a hero?" Ashido questioned with a bluntness straight from Asui's book.

Hakuba's quick interview with the Principal played back on his mind as they approached the cafeteria.

"The idea has been growing on me."

-.

 **March 7th, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 1550.**

Today's Basic Hero Training had been on the more monotonous side. All Might stayed for less than thirty minutes and spent most of his time in class congratulating his students for their impressive displays of heroism back in the USJ before leaving Aisawa to deal with the class proper.

They had two weeks to train for the Sports Festival and Basic Hero Training classes would be dedicated to preparing the students for the event, and the students were expected to train by themselves as well.

Regardless of the training regiment ahead of them, Hakuba felt pretty sure that there wasn't much he could do to prepare for what was to come.

Aisawa excused himself right before the bell rung, informing that anyone that intended to use the school facilities for their training outside school hours was to speak to him in private as he wobbled out.

Didn't took Machibuse much time to store away his belongings in his bag but the chatter outside his classroom peaked his attention so he remained seated as he attempted to understand what was being said.

Uraraka was not so patient.

"Whoaa… WHAT IS GOING ON!?" she shouted as she stood before the door. Hakuba's position in the back of the class didn't provide an angle to see into the hallway, so he now got up and walked towards the far side of the class, Momo's position was much more favorable. She was by Jiro's side near the front of the classroom, both girls with discomforted looks as they watched the outside.

" _Ah fuck it has already started…"_ he thought as he finally saw the mass of people crowding their doorstep. He quickly made his way back to his desk to pick his bag before joining Yaoyorozu and Jiro, they were far enough from the crowd.

"They are scooping the competition, small fry. We are the kids who survived a villain attack, makes sense for them to want a peek before the Sports Festival." Bakugo stated as he walked past a panicked Mineta. He was likely going to push his way through while shouting his usual profanities, so maybe it was a good idea to follow him closely as a way out.

"It is true that we have come to look, but you sure are modest… are all the students of the Hero Course like this?" someone spoke, making way to face Bakugo by the door.

It was a tall fellow with a mess of purple hair and bags under his eyes that would give Aisawa a run for his money.

"Gotta say I'm a little disappointed if that is all that you have to offer. Those of us who didn't make it into the Hero Course are left stuck in the General Studies Department and other tracks… There are quite a few of us." he continued. Bakugo was starting to lose his patience.

"Did you know that depending on the results of the Sports Festival they might consider transferring us to the Hero Course? I'd guess that the opposite may be possible for you… Checking out the competition you say? For me that will be the perfect opportunity to knock you off your pedestals. Consider this a declaration of war." the teen concluded with a threat.

Tension in the air was somewhat diffused as somebody else made way. Blaring more threats.

"HEY I'M FROM CLASS 1-B NEXT DOOR! WANTED TO SEE WHAT THE GUYS THAT FOUGHT VILLAINS ACCTUALLY LOOKED LIKE BUT ALL I'M SEEING IS THIS ARROGANT BASTARD. YOU BETTER NOT MAKE A FOOL OUTA THE HERO COURSE AT THIS THING!"

There was a brief silence from 1-A as they realized that Bakugo was now the proverbial face of the class. They had been just assigned the world's worst ambassador.

"STOP THAT YOU ARE ONLY GETTING US A WHOLE MOB OF HATERS!" Kirishima panicked as Bakugo started to force his way out of the classroom.

"Like I give a crap. I'm heading for the top, why should I care?" Bakugo stated firmly as he managed to push enough people to move.

"So manly…!" Kirishima clenched his fist, the manliest of tears in the corners of his eyes.

"He is not wrong really." Tokoyami pointed out.

"All he is doing is winning us enemies!" Kaminari was in denial about the ordeal as people started to move on from their doorstep.

The next two weeks were going to be hell.

-.

 **March 12th, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, 1420.**

"YOUNG MACHIBUSE I WANT TO SEE YOUR SPIRIT! THE NATION WILL BE WATCHING!" All Might shouted from the sidelines where he stood alongside Aisawa as both observed their pupils training. The bandaged man clearly bothered by the noise.

"I am well aware, All Might sir!" Machibuse responded as he dove to avoid an incoming attack.

He, alongside Asui, Ojiro and Sero were currently inside what could be only described as the mother of all jungle gyms, the "Agility Enhancement Unit" or something like that. The thing was at least as big as a tennis court and as tall as a three-story building. The four of them were in their PE uniforms and were given four bandanas, one to be tied around each limb and tasked with ripping those from one another as a means to win the exercise. Whoever touched the safety net bellow would be instantly disqualified.

The first of them to lose all four bandanas or the one with the least number of bandanas remaining by the end of the exercise would be given extra training.

It was a very interesting training method to say the least, the four students were the best in class when it came to the kind of maneuverability needed for such exercise. Ojiro still had his four points, Asui and Sero had three and Machibuse had only two left. To his merit however, Machibuse had been the one to take both bandanas from Asui and Sero.

The situation was somewhat stacked against Machibuse from the start, Asui and Sero had much more range to their attacks, so he was mostly on the defensive against those two, only striking when they had their attention directed at someone else. Ojiro was in the same position in that regard, but when dealing with Machibuse he adopted a simple strategy: to avoid him like the plague and only approach if someone else had him busy.

" _I miss my bow…"_ Hakuba sighed in his mind.

His three adversaries were well aware that a single good hit was all it took for Hakuba's chemicals to send someone down to the net.

Hakuba now had his mind working on a plan as he leaped from one support to the next. Sero was the only one capable of harassing without risk and he left sticky tape in his path as he swung around, making him hard to follow. Asui and Ojiro could leap around much faster and much further than him, but they were vulnerable to counters, Ojiro lacked range and Asui's tongue was vulnerable to his Chelicerae. The environment itself lacked cover for Hakuba to hide himself behind and the scarce footing made it hard for him to use his agility without needing to think two or three steps ahead, each of the bars that made up the structure had about two meters in length, resulting in wide gaps.

His train of thought was interrupted by a movement on his peripheral vision, Sero was shooting in his direction.

Quick on his reflexes, Machibuse shot both legs forwards as was about to land, causing him to miss the support beam and fall backwards, avoiding the incoming tape. Quickly he hooked the back of his knees on the beam he just missed with his feet, the momentum causing him to swing downwards and land on the bar below with a flip.

"That was awesome!" someone shouted as the remaining students made their way into the building accompanied by Ectoplasm. Over the day all the students would have a go at the jungle gym, but the teachers wanted the first batch to be the ones best suited to it as to set the bar for analysis.

"One minute until the end of the exercise!" Aisawa warned those inside the structure.

" _Fucking great. Sixty seconds."_ Hakuba thought, he needed to turn this around.

A quick glance around showed that Asui and Ojiro were at a stalemate about three meters below and heading in his direction without knowing his current position while Sero was making a pass behind him. Sero had to fire before moving, so it was easy to read his trajectory. That was his best bet.

" _Forty-five seconds."_ Machibuse counted down as he lept backwards towards Sero. The target would either cut the strand of tape on his right elbow to drop down or fire another from his left to dodge sideways. Hakuba was betting on the later as he observed that Sero very rarely moved without being secured.

Right call, Sero used his left arm to reel himself away from the attacker. That meant that he would not be able to fire immediately after Machibuse had made his intention clear.

Machibuse dropped down, his leap with much less strength than needed to reach Sero's previous location. Ojiro was right below him.

Asui leaped backwards away from their confrontation, this prompted Ojiro to look up just in time to see Machibuse grabbing his tail, injectors puncturing the appendage's skin.

" _Payload delivered."_ Machibuse thought as he used Ojiro's tail to swing towards the closest support beam, making sure to retract his Chelicerae as to avoid wounding his classmate more than needed.

Ojiro lost balance from the pull but managed to hold into a bar at his side. Now it was only a mater of time before he dropped to the net. Asui and Sero keept their distance, they knew that it was impossible for them to lose now.

A close quarters brawl issued between Machibuse and Ojiro, the former needing to stall out until his chemicals kicked in and the later in a hurry to assure victory before that happened. That was a fight to see, as both were likely the best in class when it came down to sheer hand-to-hand fighting technique.

Ojiro leapt in Machibuse's direction with a knee dodged by a shorter margin than ideal. They were now both standing on the same two meters long piece of metal and balancing was hard while trading blows, Ojiro making sure to never block Machibuse's palms directly, instead dodging or redirecting his wrists, both leapt back to each end of the support they were on after the trade proved unfruitful for both sides, they were now studying each other for openings.

With a quick weave forwards, Machibuse took to the offensive, prompting Ojiro to sweep his tail low. Foreseeing that, Machibuse jumped with a kick causing Ojiro to jump away to a nearby support. The kick's momentum carried Machibuse to the vertical bar that used to be behind Ojiro's back, and now he used the vertical support to spring himself away from the tailed teen. Ojiro's movements were now getting sluggish, he needed only a few seconds more. There was no need to combat anymore and his plan to disengage had worked.

" _25 seconds."_ Machibuse counted.

Ojiro realized that he had been tricked, his enemy now was about to escape leaving him to be defeated by the toxins. Ojiro refused to lose this way and leapt weakly after Machibuse. He started falling.

" _Saved…"_ Relief crossed Machibuse's mind as he looked back to his unconscious opponent expecting to see him heading towards the safety net below. His eyes shot open when he realized that Ojiro had leapt with enough force to not fall straight down, he would hit the next support four meters below, possibly with his head or neck.

"SERO! ASUI! BREAK THE FALL!" he shouted as he jumped head-on to catch Ojiro. The two quickly understood what was about to happen.

The students by the sidelines watched in horror.

All Might jumped over the railing, he could taste blood as he dashed to help, but his movements were much slower than he anticipated.

There was an audible pop.

Ojiro's head was stopped, two inches above the steel.

Machibse had both ankles wrapped, one by Sero's tape and one by 's tongue. He held Ojiro by the tail with both hands, the Chelicerae hooked into Ojiro's flesh. His right shoulder visibly dislocated by the impact.

"Z-z-ero." Machibuse said with a very pained voice as All Might caught the duo. Aisawa's timer was ringing in his pocket as he came to help.

"YOUNG MACHIBUSE! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?" All Might asked, dread in his voice.

"He didn't… hit… the net in time…" Machibuse spoke in between shallow breaths.

"That means I get extra work…"

-.

 **March 12th, U.A. Highschool Infirmary, 1555.**

Machibuse remembered every detail of his emergency treatment. All Might and Aisawa had carried him and Ojiro to the nurse as fast as they could. Ojiro was still unconscious on the bed next to him when Recovery Girl ordered one of the teachers to push his shoulder back into the socket while she tried to get him to sleep. It was a good thing that he has still conscious, as that allowed him to stop the woman from injecting chemicals into his system. Not only would the sedative to absolutely nothing to him, but it would cause him to take longer to synthesize the antidote for what he struck Ojiro with.

The bad thing is that being immune to sedatives meant that he had to feel every excruciating moment of pain after his shoulder was forced into place by Aisawa. His body tensed to the point where the chelicerae on his back dug holes into the infirmary's bed.

As soon as Recovery Girl confirmed that Ojiro had no wounds on his head Machibuse asked for someone to bring the unconscious teen closer, so he could apply the antidote. The tailed teen was awake in a few minutes after that, whereas it would have taken about half an hour otherwise.

Aisawa couldn't deny that he felt pride in his student as he left back to the training grounds with All Might, excusing Machibuse from the extra training he'd earned for losing the exercise.

Ojiro had left about forty-five minutes ago with his head still a little light from the chemicals. He thanked Machibuse profusely before doing so.

Since then Machibuse enjoyed the moment to rest. He knew that soon enough people would be coming to see him, by his accounts classes would end soon. The only sounds in the infirmary were those of Recovery Girl's pen hitting the desk as she updated his medical record.

"You are truly a miracle worker, ma'am. Thank you." Machibuse said, breaking the silence as he stretched his sore shoulder, it still hurt quite a bit but according to the nurse sitting in the room there would be no lasting damage.

"Stop with that, kid. God knows what would've happened to Ojiro-kun if you hadn't acted the way you did." Recovery Girl responded as she gave her patient a handful of sweets.

"Just sit there, I imagine that it will not take long for your friends to start knocking." She said with a laugh.

Minutes later the school bell rung, and soon enough there was a knock on the door.

He welcomed his friends with a smile. Apparently the hero Machibuse Hakuba had saved his first life.

…

..

.

 _ **Aaand cut. I will be posting one or two more training chapters, so keep up, the Sports Festival is around the corner.**_


	9. The road to the Festival II

**March 15th, U.A. Highschool Cafeteria, 1225.**

The Management Course had already started showing why they were there; promotional material had been sprinkled over most of the common areas of the school. Schedules, locations, prices, number of available seats, expected number of attendees… and spectators. The nice information that Machibuse felt much better without knowing.

But the cafeteria was his favorite place in the school, so he would endure for hunger could not be ignored. He as usual had procured himself a large bowl of steaming hot curry and white rice. He still had no idea how Lunch-Rush made the damn meals in his restaurant so good and so cheap, maybe the man had a a Quirk that created food out of thin air or something? No mater, it was much better than the instant stuff he could find at the grocery store, and he had nor the patience nor the money to buy the ingredients and cook it all. He was confident in his cooking skills but cooking for just himself felt more like a chore than anything.

"Machibuse-san?" Midoriya called him. Hakuba had joined Midoriya and Uraraka for lunch today. Iida and Yaoyorozu were currently in line to get their food and would join them soon, they had some class rep business to discuss with Aisawa and that robbed them of coming earlier.

Machibuse placed his bowl down and turned to the teen at his side, signaling for him to continue as he swallowed.

"This might sound weird… but I noticed that you almost always eat the same thing. Does it have something to do with your Quirk? A chemical in it you find useful or something?" Midoriya continued, trying not to sound as if he had been observing too much.

"There are a few useful things I can extract from it, such as anticoagulants that decrease the amount of time my payload takes to spread. But mostly is because I got used to eating this every day. The food back in my previous school was… questionable, to say the least and the curry was the least offensive option." Machibuse explained.

"So that stereotype that you guys in the military have terrible food is true then?" Uraraka chirped in with interest.

"As far as I am aware, yes. The superior officers likely have something better, but things were less than ideal in the barracks." Machibuse answered as he picked up the bowl once more.

"Sorry for the delay." Iida said as he approached alongside Yaoyorozu. There was a small delay as they realized that one of the seats would get a little cramped. Yaoyorozu made her way to sit by Machibuse's side as he and Midoriya scuttled.

"Please, let me." Iida offered, motioning for her to take the empty seat besides Uraraka. "It would be improper to have you pressed against someone of the opposite sex."

Momo gave a small smile, she knew that Iida meant well but proceeded to sit besides Hakuba either way.

"You are bigger than me, so this will be more comfortable for everyone. It's not like I am sitting next to Mineta." Yaoyorozu said as Iida agreed and took the empty seat. The class president had no way to know how comfortable she was with Hakuba in her personal space.

"Much appreciated, ma'am." Machibuse's tone was almost ironic as he took "not being Mineta" as a compliment.

"And besides, it's not like you two mind sitting together, right?" Uraraka asked with a smile, her voice pure innocence as she uttered a question more befitting of Ashido's.

The two ate in silence.

-.

 **March 15th, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, 1330.**

"The Sports Festival is in only six days away. I can see that you all have made progress, but I can't stress enough how important it is for you all to keep pushing your limits. Today we will be running standard training exercises for the first thirty minutes of training and later you will exercise one of the many possible games for the festival. I can't grant that what we will do today will be one of the festival's activities, but it will be good practice either way. We will round up the day with quick one on one fights. Nothing serious, I don't want any of you out of commission before the event. There will be a three minutes timer and combatants will be chosen at random." Aisawa explained their today's schedule.

"Hell yeah!" Bakugo shouted.

"Hell no!" Mineta cried.

"Wait, you are saying that I can get to randomly fight Todoroki again?" Hagakure complained, remembering how their first confrontation turned out.

Todoroki, much to Bakugo's fury, was the elephant in the room. Machibuse couldn't deny that he wasn't looking forward to having a go at him, even if he considered himself to be one of the few in class capable of facing the quiet teen on more or less equal terms. Bakugo, Iida, Tokoyami were the only other ones that he could see doing the same. Yaoyorozu would also be a strong contender depending on how the fight was to be structured, a head-on battle being the worst scenario for her by far. Shoji and Kirishima would likely win if they managed to force a close quarters situation due to the sheer physical strength they possessed, but for them to be able to close in with waves of ice as an obstacle was a heavy gamble. Midoriya was a wild card.

As expected, reactions to the combat exercise varied widely, but Aisawa couldn't care less about complains. One on one battles were standard practice at the tournaments end phase, and he wanted to prepare his students for the scenario.

The first part of the day's training was uneventful enough, mostly a warm up for the real thing. Midoriya muttered during every second of it about how he would need to adapt to fight against different students. Normally Machibuse would be one to complain about the muttering, but he was busy with planning himself, he barely registered that he was running.

"At least you keep your mouth shut when thinking. Two Midoriyas would be hard to deal with" Momo spoke as she matched Hakuba's pace.

"Can't deny I am running the scenarios, ma'am. You are already done with your plans, I assume." Hakuba spoke, slightly slowing his pace. He knew that Yaoyorozu was an athlete but there was no need to push her stamina.

"Just a few things to rule out. Mostly curious about how you intend on dealing with some people." Momo said, not reducing her speed. She knew that Hakuba was not looking down on her, but she was having none of that.

"Very well." Hakuba mused with a smile as he assumed his previous pace "My main concerns are Kaminari, Kirishima and yourself, ma'am."

"Oh?" Momo rose an eyebrow.

"Physical contact with Kaminari would result in an electrical discharge, and since we are not training in our gear I can't rely on my bow. Kirishima's Hardening is a direct counter to my Chelicerae." Hakuba explained, leaving Yaoyorozu curious about his plans in regard to a possible fight against her.

"Suppose my little strategy to gather intel on your thought process to face me won't get through." She offered with a small laugh.

"That's a little low for you, isn't it ma'am?" Hakuba asked amusement breaking through his normally stoic voice.

"I suppose that this panache of yours to not play fair is starting to rub off on me. "Information is the strongest weapon.", isn't it?" Momo joked, quoting one of their first conversations.

Machibuse had a grin on his face as they continued the exercise.

-.

 **March 15th, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, 1400.**

"Very well, line up and pick one up. You will be divided in teams of five." Aisawa spoke as he held a box with an opening on top, inside it there were twenty balls, five of each color. It was going to be a team exercise as it seemed.

"Group according to the colors you received." the teacher ordered.

Machibuse found himself in Team Green, his teammates were Tokoyami, Shoji, Uraraka and Hagakure. Seemed a group balanced enough he thought, Tokoyami was a powerhouse all-around, Shoji covered the recon, Uraraka could offset the team's lower overall mobility by herself and Hagakure could easily become a problem for the enemy backline with her invisibility. Now It was just a mater of asserting the situation, was this a mock battle? A rescue scenario? A Race?

"Teams Green and Red, you are the first to go… We are playing dodgeball."

"THAT'S SO FREAKING NORMAL!" the students shouted.

-.

 **March 15th, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, 1410.**

Dodgeball.

Plain and modest dodgeball.

Didn't sounded much of a training at first, but boy they were wrong.

The rubber ball passed by Hakuba's shoulder about as fast as a speeding car. His good reflexes keeping him in the game for now. All of the events of U.A.'s Sports Festival revolved around Quirks and having to dodge Bakugo's explosive throws sure was a hell of a workout.

Team Red was comprised of Bakugo, Aoyama, Ashido, Iida and Kaminari. Total score was three points red versus two points green. The game would end at the fifteen-minute mark or when one of the teams scored the fifth point.

Only the players inside the main area were allowed to attack, it was forbidden to step within the enemy zone, catching an enemy throw mid-air would not result in disqualification and intended headshots would be considered illegal, disqualifying the attacker. Players, regardless of the zone they were in were not allowed to attack one another directly. As a special rule, Tokoyami's Dark Shadow was not allowed to cross into the enemy zone as well.

Current scenario was that only Tokoyami and Machibuse remained in the green side, while the Red side had Bakugo, Ashido and Kaminari. Of the three balls in play, one was being held by Tokoyami's Dark Shadow, one was just handed to Bakugo by Kaminari and the last one was about to be retrieved by Iida. The class president was quick to understand what role he had in that game, allowing himself to be hit early on so he could use his speed to take control of the outside area. Aoyama was likely out of the game, he overdid it with his Navel Laser while dodging a throw from Shoji about two minutes ago and was now sitting by the sidelines.

"Machibuse-san, any ideas? You are the better tactician here as far as I know." Tokoyami asked as his shadow blocked and incoming shot from Bakugo. The force behind the throw was such that the bird-headed student was pushed back about an inch even after defending. He passed the slightly burnt ball to Machibuse.

"We need to leave Bakugo for last. The outside area is already becoming a problem with just Iida-san being able to move freely. We focus on Kaminari-san for now, hit him high." Machibuse responded as he dashed forward to throw, Tokoyami's Dark Shadow quickly following.

"Block them from passing those back to Bakugo!" Machibuse shouted as he threw the ball in Kaminari's direction with the strongest right hook he could pull, aiming towards Kaminari's legs.

Shoji quickly understood as he rushed to the far corner of the enemy area, his arms opened to catch the incoming projectiles, while his limbs sprouted multiple other hands as to keep Iida from moving into position to do the same.

"Not cool man!" Kaminari said as he jumped over the ball.

He had taken the bait.

 _*pock*_

Not a second later, Dark Shadow's throw struck the electric teen on the shoulder, causing him to be out.

 _*pock*_

A second sound surprised Machibuse as he turned to his teammate. Bakugo was a cunning one, Iida had handed him a ball moments ago, but he held it until Tokoyami's Dark Shadow was on the offensive, leaving Tokoyami exposed.

It was do or die for team green now. Each team had one ball in the main area, Shoji possessed the third one.

The players studied each other, the first one to move would have to be prepared for the counter attack. Ashido and Bakugo passed the ball to each other as to keep Machibuse on his feet. Bakugo easily had the most dangerous throw, but Ashido was also a threat. As far as Hakuba knew, she and Asui were the physically strongest of the girls and Ashido's ability to glide over her acid made her movements easy to misjudge.

Fair play was now out of the question.

"Uraraka-san get this to float outside of their reach. Shoji-san, give the one you have to her as well. Bakugo can't hit me if he strikes alone." Machibuse said as he passed the ball to Uraraka, immediately after Ashido had passed to Bakugo.

"THE FUCK DID YOU SAY!?" the blonde shouted, his face contorting into a very peculiar expression of anger.

"Bakugo-san, I can keep dodging your shots the whole day. Midoriya-san has already proved that you are easy to read back during the first battle exercise." Machibuse said, his deadpanned tone and expression firm as he watched Uraraka throwing both balls up in the air, causing them to slowly hover away.

" _275 seconds. Now I better back up the smack talk. Time to dodge, duck, dip, dive and dodge. BAKUGO IS PISSED!"_ Hakuba thought as he dove to the side avoiding a blast propelled ball by inches.

He quickly shot a look at Shoji, calling his attention to his side as the ball now rolled back into the green team's area.

"This is what we do from now on, get the word going through the team…" Machibuse whispered into an ear that sprouted closer to his location.

Back into the bleachers by the sidelines, teams Blue and Yellow watched as Bakugo shouted profanities. Machibuse would roll him back the ball and just dodge time after time, diving into the ground or sidestepping at the last moment.

"Man, Machibuse really has the balls…" Mineta commented.

"Yeah, it's not like Bakugo needs to be angry to be a menace to society." Sero responded, his eyes looking up towards the floating orbs slowly stopping midair above the field.

Another blast came from the playing field, followed by an angry shout that was about as loud.

"That is how he fights." Ojiro observed. "During our training a few days ago he only attacked me once, everything else was a ruse to buy time and find openings to escape. It is not pretty, but it works."

"Now that you speak about it… He was the one that decided to wait so we got impatient, wasn't he?" Sero turned to Jiro.

"Yeah, we spent more time standing still than actually fighting in that battle training." Kirishima added.

"Captain is an asshole… but he is a smart asshole." Jiro responded as another explosion rocked the air.

"So you are saying that if Machibuse-san gets under Kacchan's skin he wins?" Midoriya said as he continued to scribe notes into his notebook.

"Remember what he said on the bus to USJ?" Yaoyorozu asked Kirishima, not taking her eyes from Machibuse.

"Yeah, something about only fighting with an advantage… not manly at all if you ask me…" Kirishima responded, unsure if he quoted correctly.

"He is doing just that, he is creating an advantage in order to fight back. If Bakugo falls for it then it's game over." Yaoyorozu responded.

"STAND STILL SO I CAN FUCKING MURDER YOU!" they all heard from their position, Machibuse's plan was working it seemed.

Dodging the shots was getting increasingly difficult for Hakuba as his explosive adversary had started increasing the power and speed of his attacks.

" _One hundred and sixty seconds. Suppose I should get things going."_ Machibuse thought after he received the ball from Tokoyami.

Bakugo was already fuming, expecting him to simply roll the ball. Ashido was still paying attention, but she clearly was less focused now.

" _Will I regret this later? Very likely… well, she kinda brought this onto herself, so it's fine right?"_ Machibuse pondered as he held the ball.

He stopped, looking towards the bleachers, towards Momo, giving a visible sigh.

Ashido quirked an eyebrow.

"I've something important to do after school today. Mind if we finish this? Bakugo-san, Ashido-san." Machibuse's expression visibly softened as he spoke.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO DECIDE WHEN WE END THIS! NOW ROLL THE FUCKING BALL AND STAND STILL!" Bakugo shouted completely ignoring the situation.

Ashido's eyes went wide as she looked Machibuse incredulously, he gave her a timid nod. A large smile plastered in her face as she turned to Yaoyorozu.

 _*pock*_

"…"

"…"

"That was real fucking low Captain…" Jiro said, her eyes following the rubber ball that had just bounced from Ashido's side slowly roll back into the green team's area.

Yaoyorozu just brought both her hands to her face before taking a deep breath.

"HOWCOLDYOUDOTHISTOMEITHOUGHTTHATWEWEREFRIENDSYOUSTUPIDINCONSIDERATEDICKHEADIAMGOINGTOMELTYOUINTOAPUDDLEANDTHENWAITFORTHEPUDDLETODRYSOICANMELTITAGAIN!" Ashido bellowed, shaking in anger as she walked towards Machibuse.

"Ashido, you are out." Aisawa spoke from the sidelines, too tired to care.

"SENSEI JUST LET ME KILL HIM!" Ashido shouted, the concrete beneath her feet starting to burn from the acidity.

"Do it later. Outside zone, now." the teacher ordered.

She walked away, glaring daggers at Machibuse the with every step.

" _I'm totally getting kicked in the balls after this… Eighty-five seconds."_ Machibuse resigned as he turned to Bakugo.

"Get in positions! We begin the operation!" Machibuse shouted, prompting his teammates to act.

Uraraka floated to the right, Tokoyami's shadow shot upwards by the back of the red team's zone and Shoji extended his limbs to about the same height in the left. Machibuse quickly passed the ball to Uraraka, who used her Quirk on the ball before passing it to Tokoyami's shadow, who bounced it towards Shoji, who then threw the ball back down to Machibuse. They kept this for about two or three cycles, Bakugo's teammates incapable of stopping the passes since all but the first and last happened about two and a half meters above ground.

The timing of the passes also shifted, as did their angle, due to Uraraka slowly moving from her original position. They couldn't keep this for long.

Regardless, Bakugo was aware of that would sooner or later he would be forced to show an opening for Machibuse.

"No!" Uraraka cried, failing to receive a pass from Machibuse.

Now it was Bakugo's chance to recover the ball. He dashed to intercept.

 _*pock*_

Bakugo froze. How was he hit? He had the ball they were passing in his hand.

He looked up.

One of the other two balls that Uraraka removed from the game was missing.

Machibuse pointed to Tokoyami, who stepped aside. Behind him was a pile of discarded clothes.

"Mission complete! Now can someone please get me down!" Hagakure's voice came from above. No one could see her flailing her arms in despair.

The invisible girl had escaped Bakugo's mind, all the time Machibuse spent taunting him was so that Uraraka could send her up.

And all that passing and Uraraka's fail to keep up was a ruse to give Hagakure a chance to pass a second ball to Machibuse.

Bakugo lost.

-.

 **March 15th, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, 1430.**

The second match finished much quicker than the first, the yellow team had Todoroki and Yaoyorozu in their ranks, so they had both walls and cannons.

Regardless, now they moved towards the last activity of the day: the one on one battles.

Aisawa pulled up the hologram projector as he spoke "Right everyone, good job today. Now find your partner and we can end today early."

The list of students scrambled into two columns

 _..._

 _Fight number 1: Midoriya Izuku vs Hagakure Toru_

 _Fight number 2: Kaminari Denki vs Todoroki Shouto_

 _Fight number 3: Tokoyami Fumikage vs Aoyama Yuga_

 _Fight number 4: Uraraka Ochaco vs Ojiro Mashirao_

 _Fight number 5: Asui_ _Tsuyu_ _vs Koda Koji_

 _Fight number 6: Ashido Mina vs Sero Hanta_

 _Fight number 7: Iida Tenya vs Jiro Kyoka_

 _Fight number 8: Shoji Mezo vs Kirishima Eijiro_

 _Fight number 9: Mineta Minoru vs Bakugo Katsuki_

 _Fight number 10: Yaoyorozu Momo vs Machibuse Hakuba_

 _..._

Both Kaminari and Mineta were visibly in panic but Kaminari was at least trying to accept his fate. Mineta was the textbook definition of despair, not only he had to go against Bakugo but he was going against a really pissed Bakugo.

Hakuba and Momo were side by side when their match was decided. Took them a few seconds to talk afterwards.

"Ma'am, I have still not thought of a strategy to fight with you." Hakuba admitted.

"No cheeky plan like yours to deal with Ashido?" Momo asked.

"I've already apologized to her. Multiple times in fact." he responded.

"GRIND HIM TO A PULP MOMO!" Ashido shouted from behind.

"As you can see it is still a work in progress."

-.

 **March 15th, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, 1455.**

For once class 1-A felt bad for Mineta as Bakugo didn't gave him enough time to even surrender once the "fight" started. Besides that there were no serious injuries amongst the students. Kaminari was immobilized by Todoroki's ice rather than damaged by it and Midoriya didn't used his Quirk during his fight against Hagakure. Poor Sero actually had it worse, needing to deal with Ashido's anger induced strength, he currently had some ice pressed against his black eye.

"Final match of the day: Yaoyorozu versus Machibuse. By now you know the rules: you lose if you step outside the ring. You have three minutes until the fight results into a draw… GO!" Aisawa said as he started the clock.

Both combatants stood still.

"Ma'am, I assume that you don't want me to hold back." Hakuba spoke, the Chelicerae on his hands springing into action.

"I would beat you up if you did. Both during and after the fight." Momo replied as she formed a metallic staff and assumed her fighting stance.

"I am well aware of that ma'am." Hakuba responded with a faint smile, less than a second later he was already dashing towards his opponent.

A thin sheet of metal shot from her tight to shield her, leaving a hole in her shorts. The chelicerae leaving deep gouges onto the barrier as Hakuba pushed it to the side.

Yaoyorozu spun as she struck her weapon, failing to connect as Machibuse dropped to the ground on his back, quickly rolling onto his shoulders as to launch a spring kick in her direction.

It was easy to understand why he stopped wearing shoes to the PE activities, the weapons on his soles quickly making themselves ready.

She managed to sidestep but realized that this was his intention as he twisted his torso midair and brought one palm clawing in her direction. Simple constructs were the faster to create, so she pushed another iron rod out, this time from her stomach. It didn't have a lot of force behind it but was enough to keep the distance between them. She actually felt the tips of his fingers scraping against her leg, it was almost a K.O. right there. She needed to keep in mind that all of his attacks could be feints and he only needed one hit.

They both jumped back.

Machibuse dashed in once more, he couldn't spare her the time to create something dangerous.

She swung her arm, caltrops flying from her skin and scattered across the floor. Momo knew that the true danger behind Hakuba's unorthodox fighting style was how he used the surrounding terrain to close the distance quickly. His attacks packed some strength but most of his striking power came from his momentum, crippling his mobility was key. They were fighting in a limited space with no walls, so his only remaining option now had been layered with traps.

"Give me some credit, ma'am!" Hakuba said as he dove in her direction, his hands landing precisely between the steel spikes as he cartwheeled towards her.

Momo rose her staff to block the incoming strike as both of his feet came down in her direction. His attack was… light?

Only one of his feet connected, the chelicerae in his sole gripped in her weapon. His other leg bent at the knee and moving downwards, his torso now rising.

With a jerking motion in the opposite direction he used her staff as footing to somersault, the foot that previously missed her weapon now kicked it from underneath, sending it flying high.

Yaoyorozu leapt backwards once again, her teeth gritted in frustration about being disarmed, as Machibuse landed in a crouch in her previous position, one clear of caltrops. Once more he was after her.

She needed another weapon and fast. It didn't cross her mind that the usually tactical Machibuse would go for all out aggression. A spring coiled from her lower back as she took a page from his book and used the ground to keep her momentum. She gained enough space to create a decent weapon but was now up against the edge of the arena. While not her favorite weapons, a pair of tonfas surged from her skin. There was no space to maneuver a two-handed weapon and he could use those as shields if needed.

Machibuse was quickly on her face and they soon began trading quick blows. She knew where his chelicerae could sprung up from so she was aware of where to block and where to dodge.

One palm strike was aimed at her face, it was obvious enough. His stance was about to drop low. She knew where to strike. A quick twist of her wrist spun one of her weapons fast towards his shoulder, so she would hit him in the face when he moved to the ground.

Momo realized too late. His palm didn't stop, it was no feint. The injectors poised to pierce her.

Hakuba had launched a real attack for the first time in their fight.

Momo closed her eyes, she could feel that her attack connected with his shoulder, but that was not enough to stop the blow.

She braced for the strike.

"…"

Nothing happened.

Momo slowly opened one of her eyes, had she stopped him?

His face was inches from hers. Blood rushed to her face as she stumbled back, falling on her rear outside the bounds.

"Don't close your eyes like that, ma'am. You can't fight if you can't see." Hakuba said as he offered her a hand.

"All that talk about strategy… what happened?" she asked as she took his hand.

He pulled her up to her feet.

"As I said, ma'am: had none."

-.

 **March 15th, U.A. Highschool Main Gate, 1600.**

Ashido Mina was having none of Machibuse's explanations. Shoji and Kirishima were left to watch as the other male in their little group tried to use military logic, pointing out priority targets and threats they posed to his plan to excuse his mishandling of a teenage girl's emotions.

"Not listening." Ashido's arms were crossed as she turned away.

"Man, you are bad at this." Kirishima pointed out.

"I am well aware Kirishima-san. I can do without the information, thank you." Machibuse turned to his friend, annoyance breaking through his usual façade.

Yaoyorozu spotted the group as she made her way out of the school.

"Seems like your plan backfired Machibuse-san." she said as she walked to them.

"Ma'am." Machibuse nodded defeated.

"Momo! Great, now I can ask you directly. Machibuse was lying?" Ashido turned to her friend.

"Lying about?" Yaoyorozu asked, she didn't like how this conversation was going.

"Machibuse said during the dodgeball match that he had something to tell you after class, and I wanna hear it." Ashido spoke, impatience in her voice.

"How am I supposed to know?" Yaoyorozu shrugged.

Then a devilish ploy crossed her mind.

"What do you want to hear from him?" Yaoyorozu asked, already knowing the answer.

"Don't go giving him a pass. You know what I want to hear." Ashido stated, her hands on her hips.

"Machibuse, invite me to a date. She can't get mad if I say no." Yaoyorozu suggested.

"Momo! How can you…!" Ashido protested.

"Yaoyorozu Momo, would you go on a date with me?" Machibuse quickly asked, even taking her hand as he spoke, a true gentleman.

"It would be a pleasure, I've been wanting to go on that new French restaurant that opened near Tokyo Station, maybe a movie later." Yaoyorozu agreed, bowing softly as the noblewoman she was.

"Very well, now that we dealt with the issue at hand…wait, what?" Hakuba stopped in confusion, his stoic façade shattered.

"You didn't really think that I would just let that low blow of yours slide, did you?" Momo said with a smile as she excused herself, giving Hakuba a quick pat in the back as she passed.

Everyone was in silence.

"We'll have a day off after the festival, so we see each other then. And I expect that the dinner and the movie tickets will be on you." Momo added as she left, not even looking back to enjoy Hakuba's defeat.

She played him like a fiddle.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Well, you win some and you lose some don't you?**_


	10. The road to the Festival III

**March 20th, Machibuse Residence, 0615.**

It was going to be one of those days.

Normally Hakuba would've started his day with a sarcastic comment about how he woke up before the alarm and proceed to his Sunday morning routine, but he couldn't push himself to be funny right now. U.A.'s Sports Festival would start in little more than thirty hours and he felt as if his head was about to burst.

He had been fighting the urge to vomit for a while now. The battle was not going well on that front.

He'd spent the last seven hours in bed, trying to force himself asleep. His arm still sore from wounds caused by his own Chelicerae, the dose of sleep hormones and painkillers he delivered into his own system did absolutely nothing to ease his night. He couldn't take sleep pills; his Quirk would absorb the chemicals before they had an effect, the only drugs capable of causing reactions in his body being the ones with his biosignature.

He felt terrible.

His body was tense to the point that he had to keep himself from moving to not spring a weapon from his back and shank the innocent mattress by accident.

Hakuba felt that his right shoulder was about to pop out of the socket again even if he knew that all the pain and damage were long gone. The scars he had acquired over the years itched.

Even the small amounts of light that peaked from underneath his blinds offended his eyes.

His eyes shut once more, he had attempted to sleep in vain the whole night, but he was tired to the point of exhaustion. Maybe now…

Something stirred on the back of his throat as he shifted his head to the side and adjusted a pillow between his knees.

He made a run for the toilet, barely making it in time.

He couldn't care less if he had ruined the floorboards.

Every single chelicera in his body had jolted into position, the strain from emptying his bowels into the vase not only deployed the weapons but also caused the venom sacs linked to them to force chemicals out. The pungent combination of smells quickly filled the bathroom.

It took Hakuba a good ten minutes to push himself from the latrine. He sat on the floor with his right shoulder propped against the wall, legs too shaky to stand. He was sticky from sweat mixed with the clear, thin chemical-filled liquid that still oozed weakly from his mutations.

He pried his pillow from the chelicerae on the back of his left knee with some difficulty. Poor thing was not making through today, so it barely made a difference if he used it some more right now. Hakuba placed the ruined pillow on the floor and proceeded with laying down.

The pillow absolutely reeked, but so did he at the moment so he was in no position to judge.

He would take a shower in a minute, he needed to rest his head.

-.

 **March 20th, Machibuse Residence, Time Unknown.**

The sound of his cellphone woke Hakuba up slowly. It took him a moment to pinpoint his current position as he got up leaning heavily against the sink.

Hakuba had passed out in the bathroom floor.

"How long was I out?" he asked to his reflection in the mirror in between deep breaths.

The cellphone stopped ringing for a few moments. But whoever just called him was trying to reach him again.

The walk back to his room had proven to be very hard without support from the walls, the once smooth wooden floor now had quite a few gashes alongside the corridor that he would need to patch somehow. Likely something else he would postpone.

He picked his cellphone from on top a towel that he placed onto his desk-box, a lazy workaround the issue of his cellphone vibrating on top of the cardboard.

Momo was calling.

"Ma'am." he spoke bringing the device to his ear after he swiped the green button on the touch screen

" _Machibuse-san! You had me worried for a moment, it's unlike you to not answer... I'm just calling to inform of tomorrow's schedule. Iida-san and I were informed just this morning by Aisawa-sensei, so we have been making rounds to inform everyone else."_ Yaoyorozu explained, the sound of papers shifting could be heard as she spoke.

Hakuba quickly moved the screen in front of his face, he needed to check on some info. He had two missed calls from her number and four unread messages. Time was now 1322, so he had been out for about six hours, not that he felt any more rested.

He quickly brought the speaker back to his ear as she started talking again.

"… _event will officially start by eleven o'clock with a pledge by one of the students, but attendees are expected to arrive sixty minutes earlier in the arena as to avoid delays. We will be directed to…"_ Momo continued her explanation, Hakuba however was barely following at this point.

"… _Machibuse-san… you are panting. What just happened? Hakuba?"_ She called him, concern in her voice was apparent.

"Please continue ma'am." Machibuse asked but was unable to keep his breathing down.

" _No. You are not well. Don't hide it from me… Hakuba, please."_ Yaoyorozu pleaded through the phone.

"I… passed out earlier this morning ma'am. Woke up just now with your call." Hakuba admitted somewhat painfully.

" _You what!? Hakuba this is serious! I'm calling Shoji there right now!"_ Momopanicked with the knowledge.

"Shoji-san is out of town since we left school Friday. He is in Fukuokka with his family and should be back only by tonight." Hakuba stopped her.

" _I am going then."_ Momo responded without a thought.

"Momo…" he started.

" _Don't. What is your address? I will take the next train to Tokyo."_ she interrupted, he could hear the sound of her chair falling backwards as she got up.

There was a moment of silence, Hakuba groaned as he forced himself to his feet. He knew he wasn't getting out of this.

"I'll text my address to you and leave the door unlocked ma'am. " Machibuse offered as he braced onto the doorframe.

" _Please do… Hakuba, take care of yourself while I'm not there…"_ she asked as she hung up.

Machibuse stood still for a few minutes, slowly attempting to stand on his own.

"Gotta at least clean some of this mess before she arrives…"

-.

 **March 20th, Machibuse Residence, 1445.**

Yaoyorozu had made her way through the suburban area in haste, barely taking in the sight. Her only stop along the way was a drug store where she procured a small amount of different general use medicaments, only to realize how giving Machibuse any kind of remedy was likely to be pointless after reaching the building he lived. Six stories tall, no elevator, something around eight apartments in each floor.

She quickly made her way towards the third floor, his door being the one furthest from the stairs she took up.

 _MACHIBUSE_

She eyed the small sign right above the bell. Took her the good part of a minute standing in front of his door to finally move. Momo couldn't deny that she was a little bit nervous about the idea of going to his house. At least the girls didn't know about this development, she had already heard her fill of comments, especially after Ashido told them about her upcoming date.

Iida was aware of the situation as she had called asking for him to finish up with calling everyone else about the schedule for the Sports Festival and needed to explain why. He offered to come with her, but she turned him down knowing that having someone else there would get Hakuba on his guard about speaking. Machibuse and Iida were rather friendly to each other, but they didn't really have much intimacy and the former was very unlikely to explain the problem openly to anyone outside his circle of trust. It was just how he was.

She had messaged Shoji about the situation as well, he would stop by to check on Hakuba later on.

With a deep breath she pushed the thoughts away, opened the door and made her way in. She took of her shoes as she made her way through the short entrance hall when a small shelf caught her attention, a portrait of a family. The sight of a very young Hakuba with a beaming smile on his face and arms up in the air made her chuckle. He was propped on the shoulders of a man in his early thirties besides a woman of about the same age, both in formal military attire... his parents. Hakuba's mother was a quite charming woman, fair skin, coffee colored hair kept in a short braid over her shoulder, although Hakuba clearly took it more from his father, with the same hair color and complexion, Yaoyorozu could spot the similarities between him and his mother: her eyes and Hakuba's were pretty much carbon copies. The man had a cheesy smile on his face while the woman was visibly losing her patience as they tried to get the kid to stand still for a normal family picture. Two stone tablets with their names inscribed stood beside the portrait.

"I suppose your son also gives me a fair share of trouble…" Momo said softly to the stones, bowing her head in respect before she moved on towards the living room.

Yaoyorozu expected his apartment to be small, Hakuba told her that the military had a place rented for him so he couldn't expect it to be some luxurious abode. That and he always complained about not having room to exercise indoors. She was not expecting it to be so small however, she had bathrooms in her house as big as his living room.

"Machibuse-san!" Yaoyorozu called out.

From there she could have a proper look at her surroundings. The room she was in had some twenty or so feet by fifteen feet of space. It had no windows properly, but a clear glass double door that led to the visibly cramped balcony provided enough natural light. She could spot the kitchen on the far side of the living room, given the devices she could see behind the counter that divided both spaces, and there were two other doors in sight. One was clearly a cabinet and the other led to a corridor running parallel to the living room, the door held open by a cardboard box propped against it. In fact there were quite a few boxes, some tucked underneath the glass table in the middle of the room, others just laying to the sides. His television rested on top of two larger, thicker, containers.

The corridor was darker, and she could see light peaking from underneath a door at the end of it. The light turned of and the door was opened. Machibuse came through wiping his hair dry with a towel, his walk somewhat wobbly. He was barefoot as expected, on black sweatpants and with the dog tags around his neck. Yaoyorozu caught a nice glimpse of his shirtless form while his vision was blocked by the towel, his athletic physique quite easy on her eyes.

"I apologize for the trouble ma'am." Machibuse spoke as he dropped the towel down around his shoulders and stepped into the living room.

She quickly rose her eyes to meet his as to avoid awkwardness. His face was drained, he had the same tired look she'd expect from their homeroom teacher.

Yaoyorozu stepped closer, placing her bag on the couch while eyeing his exhausted demeanor. He was clearly attempting to keep his usual façade as if nothing trouble him.

"What happened?" she asked worriedly, her hand reaching for his forehead to inspect if he had a fever.

"Nausea, muscle pain and insomnia. Dehydration came as a result. Last meal was at 2115 yesterday, nothing unusual." he explained to her as if speaking to an army doctor.

"Make yourself at home ma'am, I will get dressed in a moment." He continued, turning back into the corridor, his arm propping him on the wall.

"Here…" Momo offered as he moved to his hide, throwing his arm around her shoulders.

Hakuba gave her a soft nod as she helped him make it to his room at the end of the corridor. The passageway was a little on the narrower side so that forced Yaoyorozu a little too close to his skin, she hadn't thought about that before offering her help, but luckily his room wasn't far, and he wasn't paying attention to her flustered cheeks.

Hakuba's room had more boxes, the one that had her attention being the biggest one, with a "office desk" written in bold font above a photo of said desk. On top of it there was a towel, his school supplies and a somewhat dated notebook with an envelope branded with the military symbol beneath it. Other than that his room was rather ordinary, dull white walls, one wooden cabinet, one swivel chair in front of his "desk" and his bed was only dressed in plain white and gray bedsheets. No pillow for some reason. The one window in the room wide open.

The only objects in his walls were the shamisen resting on a support and what looked like a nail stuck a few feet above the head of his bed, maybe he had a painting there at some point.

"Thank you." Hakuba said as he moved away slowly in the direction of the cabinet as to procure himself a shirt, Momo unconsciously had her eyes on his back, the small slithers for the chelicerae on his spine guiding her eyes down.

Her eyes spotted the marks on the wooden floor, causing her brow to furrow as she studied the damage.

"Took me a few steps to pull the chelicerae on my feet back. Had to dash to the bathroom and was not thinking quite straight" Hakuba explained to her as he closed the cabinet's door.

She could follow the gashes for about half the way into the corridor, when she turned back he was just finished dressing a faintly pink tank top.

"Got this mixed with the colored ones." He sighed as he wobbled back in her direction, his footing a little more stable than before.

"Need help?" Momo offered again.

"Appreciated, but the hallway is a little bit to cramped, don't you think?" Hakuba asked, his tone, expressionless as usual, had her confused if he noticed her blushing on the way to his room.

"Y-yeah." Momo stuttered as she turned quickly to the doorway.

Soon enough they arrived at the living room, Hakuba then made a detour to his kitchen and started to look for something to eat.

"Go back to the couch and rest, I will get you something to eat… You can't even stand straight; no way I'm letting you cook." Momo ordered, pulling his collar so that he moved away from the fridge.

Hakuba stared her blankly, clearly annoyed by being taken care of as if he was incapable.

""Friends worry for each other." Now stop being so stubborn, I have come all the way here to help you." Momo quoted, starting to get annoyed herself at the situation.

Hakuba resigned, pointed her to the drawer that had his cooking utensils, and made his way back into the living room, picking up the remote and moving Momo's bag to the table in front of the couch before laying face down on the leather couch, his feet sticking out over the armrest.

" _Two pro-heroes were found dead in an alleyway near the commercial district of Hosu, Tokyo. Police believe that this is the work of the Hero Killer: Stain, more informa…"_ The newsflash just had started when Hakuba turned the television on, but he muted it halfway through.

"This Hero Killer has been an issue for a while, right?" Hakuba asked, adjusting himself in the couch so that he could face Momo.

"From what police have uncovered he started acting a few years ago, but recently he has been more active… something between thirty and forty victims have been linked to him as far as I know." Momo responded with some grief in her voice as she placed a bowl of rice into the microwave.

"You think that we are targets? He may be after All Might in a similar way to the villains from the USJ incident." Hakuba pondered as he surfed through the channels, failing to find anything interesting besides the coverage on the Hero Killer.

"Unlikely, he only seems to go after pros, limiting himself to only knock out interns and bystanders if they don't pose a threat… Where do you leave the onions?" Momo interrupted her own train of thought.

"Don't have any ma'am. Sour stuff is not my taste." He replied, finally finding something more or less interesting, some random scare movie with special effects that aged very badly. He unmuted the television but kept the sound low.

"Well, then fish and rice it is…" Momo spoke as she waited for the microwave to finish its work.

A few minutes later she came to the living room with a tray in her hands, Hakuba forced himself to a sitting position with some small effort before taking the tray. She then sat down, about an arm's length to his left.

"Thanks Momo." Hakuba spoke with a soft smile on his face as he started eating.

"So, you plan on telling me what got you like this?" Momo asked as she watched whatever movie was on the television.

"Permission to break protocol ma'am?" he turned to her with a visibly annoyed expression, his only response was a sigh followed by a nod.

"If I was to say that I don't you would make me tell you either way. We both know that." Hakuba said nonchalantly as he ate.

"…Idiot." Momo said with a scowl while pinching one of his ears.

"Ow ow ow, I am injured you know!" Hakuba complained painfully. He then explained but while one of his hands now protected his ear "The stress of vomiting causes my chelicerae to pump chemicals, so a particularly intense bout of nausea like the one I had this morning empties me out, and since I use quite a bit of water from my system to synthesize those chemicals I may end up dehydrated. I can't exactly stop the process, it's like trying to not produce saliva."

Hakuba decided to keep something out of the conversation.

"I guess that makes sense…" Momo seemed to have been satisfied by the response.

One very badly animated explosion called their attention to the movie.

"I really hope you get us a better movie for our date…" she mused with an eyebrow quirked.

Hakuba only response to the comment was a very unamused look as he continued to chew on his food.

"But…there is one thing that is bugging me out…" she turned to him, ignoring his expression "What got you to throw up like that? From what I understand your Quirk makes pretty much impossible for you to get sick."

" _God dammit."_ Hakuba thought before putting the tray onto the table.

He sighed.

"I'm nervous about the festival." Hakuba admitted, his eyes down to the floor.

"What? You can't be serious about that. You are unsure about your skills to the point of passing out like you did?" Momo was visibly confused by his statement.

He shook his head "Not that. I'm afraid of the spectators." Hakuba explained.

Momo's eyes widened with the realization…

" _I don't need to be flashy to be a good hero ma'am."_

" _I know that you usually are not a beacon of enthusiasm Captain, but you were making faces during the whole talk about the Sports Festival."_

Hakuba had stage fright.

And he was about to be in front of the whole nation.

"Ridiculous isn't it?" He spoke without averting his gaze from the floor, his hands clenched tight. She could see blood trickling down one of his fists, he likely had pierced his own fingers with his chelicerae.

"I dropped from the military band in less than a year, turned my attention to learn the one instrument that allowed me to play with my back turned to the crowd and it did nothing. Now here I am, less than a day ahead of what might be the year's most important day and I can barely stand for myself! I couldn't even sleep thinking about the damn crowd and ended up passed out on the bathroom floor!" he continued, his expression wasn't one of sadness or grief. Hakuba was just boiling anger.

"What a fucking amazing hero I'm destined to be, what a disappointment… You came all the way from Nagoya to help me and I not even sick or injured, I am wasting your time because I am a fucking coward… Please Momo, I'm thankful for what you have done today but please don't waste your time with me, tomorrow is your chance to shine, not mine!" Hakuba turned to face her, his eyes barely holding tears.

"I not worth to be a hero…"

 _*SMACK*_

Hakuba barely had time to register the pain from the slap he just received before Momo warped her hands around and pulled him closer.

She just held him there, his head against her chest. His whole body stiff as a piece of rebar.

"You can hear it, right? My heart? I'm alive…" Momo asked him, not really expecting an answer.

"I would have died in the USJ if you weren't a hero. Jiro would have died. Kaminari would have died… Just a week ago, you damn near lost an arm and Ojiro is alive because of it. You are a hero, to me at the very least... Don't ever say that you are not one again." she spoke softly leaning her head on top of his.

She felt his body relaxing into her arms

"Here, let me see your hand…" Momo asked tenderly. Hakuba complied, resting his head on her lap and turning sideways as she created some bandages and alcohol with her Quirk. The wounds were very shallow, apparently he just broke through the skin. Closing his hand caused the chelicerae to retract, it just happened that he clenched his hand a little too much.

"What do I do tomorrow?" Hakuba asked her with a saddened, confused expression, yet he refused adamantly to cry.

"Your best, idiot." Momo responded as she finished wrapping up the wounded digits.

"We better stop breaking down like this ma'am, we both suck at playing psychiatrist."

-.

 **March 20th, Machibuse Residence, 1805.**

Yaoyorozu actually managed to find something interesting on the television, some show about how stuff is fabricated. She actually liked those, some gave her insight on how to use her Quirk more effectively, and she was naturally curious.

Most people found these kinds of shows to be boring. Hakuba had no opinion she could perceive as he had fallen asleep on her lap quite a while ago. Momo couldn't deny that this went a lot beyond their usual proximity and at first she felt somewhat awkward, but it didn't take her too long to get comfortable with the feeling. He was absolutely exhausted by the whole ordeal and didn't even move when she wrapped the remaining bandages around his bicep where he injected himself, the wounds were mostly closed by now, but it didn't hurt to care.

He had some few scars from using his Quirk on himself but seemed like his attacks didn't usually left lasting marks unless he slashed with the chelicerae. Ojiro's tail had some faint marks from when Machibuse caught him, but Sero as far as she knew had no vestiges from being attacked.

That was the first time she'd seen him so vulnerable, both physically and mentally. Machibuse was truly peculiar, if she hadn't noticed his condition when they spoke over the phone he would've likely spent the whole day agonizing and would still perform well on the festival tomorrow even if he needed to drug himself to make it through. There was a lot she wanted to ask him, why the boxes, what was the meaning behind the tattoo on his arm, why he never told Aisawa about his problems with the festival, how his mother had been the one to get him off the military, what she was to him…

It was unfortunate, but it was time for her to go home, and there was no way for her to get up without disturbing his sleep.

"Hakuba… wake up." Momo called, the back of her fingers gently caressing his face.

He groaned, shifting his body to the other side as he tugged on her clothing.

"Sun is already going down, I need to head home." she insisted.

One of his eyes opened slowly as he looked up, Momo could see the chelicerae springing inside his mouth when he yawned as he started to sit down.

"Fow longhf waf I sfleep?" Hakuba asked her with a very broken diction.

"Something around three hours." Momo answered, one quirked eyebrow giving away her surprise to hear him talking like that.

"Stfufid Fuirk…" he mumbled before forcing his jaw open while brushing the sleep of his eyes with the back of his hand.

They were in silence for a while, Hakuba's still tired form leaned back on her shoulder while he mustered the courage to get up.

"Are you feeling better?" Momo asked resting her cheek on top of his head.

"Much better ma'am. Just need a good night of sleep. Suppose I will push my worries for tomorrow." Hakuba answered, his usual vocabulary back but not his tone. His fingers entwined into hers as he slowly lifted his head from her shoulder.

"Thank you Momo…For being with me through all of this…" he spoke in a voice much more affectionate than she would normally expect from him.

Momo could feel her heart racing, she squeezed his hand gently.

"Hakuba…"

"Momo…"

They spoke at the same time and now both sat in silence, avoiding looking into each other's eyes, one urging the other to go first.

Hakuba turned back to her, his mouth opened…

 _*BZZZZZZZZZZZZ*_

"Machibuse! You okay in there!?"

Shoji had to come to check on his friend.

God dammit.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Ah the wonders of timing.**_

 _ **Either way, this is the last bit before we get down to the Sports Festival business. Next chapter is mostly done since I started writing it before this one, but as much as I dropped tidbits about how poor Hakuba hated the whole idea of nation-wide attention it wouldn't feel as impactful if I just revealed it with a flashback during the event like I originally planned. A whole chapter to the issue might be overkill, but at least now things will progress much more naturally.**_

 _ **See ya soon**_


	11. Running away

_**Today's was a double update, so if you just clicked the "Last" button to come here you might wanna check the previous chapter before giving this one a read.**_

-.

 **March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, 1-A Prep Room, 1050.**

" _Six hundred, five hundred ninety-nine, five hundred ninety-eight, five hundred ninety-seven…"_

Machibuse could hear the fireworks booming outside, the dreaded event was drawing close. He and his classmates were led to their current location by their still bandaged homeroom teacher and were currently waiting to make their entrance. As soon as they arrived Hakuba promptly sat on the corner and started counting down his personal doomsday clock.

He had been there for about ten minutes trying not to lose it.

By now Machibuse already had earned comments from pretty much everyone. Not that he was listening anyway, his ears filtered out everything but the announcements on the speakers, the only person that got a response from him was Yaoyorozu.

She asked him four questions: If he had slept, if he had eaten, if he was in shape to attend and if he had drugged himself with his Quirk. She received a positive for the first three and a "negative but considered" regarding the fourth.

Shoji and Machibuse spoke very little on their way to the stadium, but that had already been enough exposition for the taller teen; yesterday he received a message from Yaoyorozu informing that Machibuse had passed out and that she would keep an eye on him for the day but asked for him to come by night since she needed to go back to Nagoya. He had arrived at dusk finding a very exhausted Machibuse and Yaoyorozu rushing to leave, there was a tangible awkwardness in the brief conversation the three had, but Shoji decided not to press for details. Regardless, he spent about an hour in Machibuse's residence just to be sure that he was better, and his friend filled him in about his less than stellar morning.

"Okay Captain, you are out of character. The hell is happening? You are making Midoriya look normal." Jiro asked as she crouched in front of him.

"Wait what?" Midoriya asked in return but was left unanswered.

Jiro waited for a moment. Her sensitive hearing could faintly detect him mumbling numbers. He had been counting down since they arrived.

"Can someone get me some water? The colder the better." She turned to her classmates.

"Something happened?" Ashido was the first one to offer a bottle, she tried to talk with Machibuse earlier without results. She even got a jab in about his upcoming date with Momo, which caused the people unaware of this development to ask their own questions, but not even that got a reaction from him.

"Something is about to happen…" Jiro warned as she opened the bottle and poured some of its contents right on Hakuba's head.

"The fuck Lieutenant!?" Machibuse shot up to his feet, his hair drenched.

"You are breaking protocol. Calm yourself down, Kaminari already gets enough stupidity in my social circle." she responded before handing him the half-empty bottle.

"Wait what?" Kaminari now asked but was left unheard the same way as Midoriya.

Hakuba took the bottle and stared at it for a good ten seconds before downing the liquid in one go. One deep breath later and his usual stoic expression was back, even if his soggy hair still betrayed his serious demeanor.

"Thank you Lieutenant." he nodded.

"Here." Yaoyorozu joined them, pulling a towel from her arm.

"Surprised you didn't do it." Jiro turned to Momo as Machibuse was busy drying himself.

"I would've hit him eventually. Guess your approach was better than mine." Yaoyorozu answered.

"Suppose I don't get a saying in this discussion, don't I?" Machibuse said as he placed the towel down into a nearby chair.

"Nope." Jiro responded with a smirk

"Of course you don't. And if you keep acting like an idiot we surely can find a water tank to drop you into. I am certain that Shoji-san would not mind helping us to drag you." Yaoyorozu said looking towards the masked teen.

Shoji just gave a nod in agreement.

"Good to know that I can count on you all." Machibuse said, his tone not giving clues whether he was being sarcastic or not.

"Everyone! You all good and ready? The event is about to begin!" Iida called out, prompting the group to start moving.

"Midoriya." someone called. Not a voice Hakuba was used to hear, but he was pretty sure it was…

"Todoroki-san… what is it?" Midoriya replied confused, Hakuba was pretty sure that was their first interaction.

"Objectively speaking, I'm stronger than you and far more capable." Todoroki stated something rather obvious, but now he had the attention of every other student in the room.

"I don't know why, and I am not about to pry into the reasoning behind it, but All Might got his eyes on you since day one." he continued.

"I will beat you." an ultimatum.

"Now what!? A declaration of war from the strongest in the class!?" Kaminari commented, visibly taken aback by the sudden turn of events.

"THE HELL YOU CALLED STRONGEST!?" Bakugo now shouted, his pride stung by what he just heard.

"Hey man, why pick a fight now?" Kirishima walked to Todoroki, attempting to defuse the situation.

"I have no intention in pretending to be anyone's friend, so I don't care." Todoroki responded coldly, swatting Kirishima's hand from his shoulder.

"Suppose the Todoroki I met during the Recommendation Exam is showing his colors." Machibuse spoke as he placed a hand on Kirishima's shoulder, telling him not to waste time.

"You better stand out of my way as well Machibuse. I didn't need your interference in the USJ and I don't need it now." Todoroki spat back, glaring coldly towards Hakuba.

"Todoroki-san, I'm not sure why you felt there was a need for you to tell that you would beat me…You are clearly stronger, I can't even measure up to most of the others here and it's obvious I can't compare myself to you, but… everyone in this festival, even those from other courses, will be aiming for the top… end I can't fall behind! I'm going for it with everything I got!" Midoriya responded to the challenge.

Class 1-A made it's way in silence after that, Machibuse feeling much better with dealing with the tension Todoroki created that with the chatter of the spectators that were ever so close.

-.

 **March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, 1100.**

" _IT'S THE U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAL, THE ONE TIME OF THE YEAR WHERE OUR FLEDGLING HEROES COMPETE IN THE GRAND ARENA! FIRST UP MASS MEDIA, YOU KNOW WHO I'M TALKING ABOUT! THE MIRACULOUS RISING STAIRS THAT BRUSHED OFF A VILLAIN ATTACK WITH STEELY WILLPOWER! IT'S CLASS 1-A!"_

Hakuba barely registered what Present Mic was blabbering about, this was way worse than he ever expected, the sheer amount of people in the arena was just oppressive. Pressure was getting him to crack. His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy. He wanted to vomit already.

"Hold on… I know you can make it." Momo's voice brought him back, her fingers timidly entwined into his.

Machibuse swallowed hard. He was visibly trembling.

"Permission to break protocol ma'am?" he asked.

"As always." Yaoyorozu nodded in accordance.

"I am real fucking scared right now." Hakuba admitted while squeezing her hand.

Yaoyorozu was about to say something when a whip crack called their attention to the slender figure of the R-Rated Hero: Midnight making her way into the dais, her suggestive walk and skin-tight bodysuit gracing the viewers and attendants alike. Even if the weekly classes with the pro hero made so that seeing her wasn't anything out of the ordinary Hakuba still appreciated having something more interesting to look at than the crowd. And so he looked.

Yaoyorozu elbowed him in the ribs.

God dammit woman.

"Welcome everyone! I will be your ref for today's games here in the first years stadium! Now let's open the games with the athlete's oath!" Midnight proclaimed as soon as she made to the center of the stage.

"Your student representative from class 1-A, Bakugo Katsuki! Please come!" she then called, pointing towards Bakugo

"Whaa? Kacchan!?" Midoriya asked in surprise.

"Must be because he placed first in the entrance exam." Sero explained as Bakugo climbed the stairs.

"There is no way that this will end well." Machibuse observed, one hand over his ribs as he spoke.

Bakugo stopped in front of the microphone.

"The Athlete's Oath…make no mistake. I swear I am gonna win this thing. " Bakuko proclaimed on the microphone.

The booing from both the crowd and the students issued. Bakugo's only reaction was his thumb swiping across his throat as he taunted the other participants.

" _As predicted… he is more centered than I expected however. No swearing, no grinning like a madman, no aggressive body language. Feels like he is telling that more to himself than anyone else."_ The thought quickly crossed Machibuse's mind, he expected the blonde to at least flip someone of on his way back, but he only made a point to bump into Midoriya.

"Now without delays, let's get the first event started! This are the qualifiers! It is in this stage that most of you will be sent home crying!" Midnight continued with the opening as if Bakugo's oath didn't even happen while the screen behind her flashed the various possible games.

"No delay? She is stalling like crazy…" Jiro quipped as they waited.

"The fateful first encounter this year is… The Obstacle Race Course!" the referee posed once the screen stopped cycling through the options.

" _Well, I have been itching to run away from this place… guess it is the second-best option."_ Machibuse mused as he watched the main gate opening.

"It is a race between all the students in the eleven classes! The course is a four-kilometer lap around the stadium itself! Our school preaches freedom in all things, so everything is fair game as long as you don't leave the track!" Midnight explained as the mass of students took position.

"Ma'am, do you also feel like everything in this school leads to a race?" Machibuse asked Yaoyorozu as he took of his shoes and took place besides Yaoyorozu.

She only quirked and eyebrow at his comment.

"START!" Midnight shouted as the lights turned green.

In an instant the mass of bodies surged forward into the narrow passage. That was the first filter.

Hakuba needed to get through and fast.

He quickly used the student in front of him as leverage to reach the wall, throwing the poor soul under the proverbial bus. One jump later and he was already above the crowd, his chelicerae gripping into the concrete as he studied which route to take.

Hakuba could spot Todoroki leading the pack, his next move was predictable. In an instant the floor had been covered in ice, leaving many of the less fortunate students stuck to the floor.

Todoroki had made Hakuba a nice path as now the immobile students became perfect stepping stones as Hakuba leapt from one pair of shoulders to the next.

1-A had seen Todoroki freezing the ground a couple times by now, so the expected him to do it. All of them managed to leave the tunnel and soon reached the first obstacle.

More exactly, the first obstacle reached them, as one massive metallic fist swatted Mineta to the side wall.

" _EVERY OBSTACLE COURSE NEEDS OBSTACLES! THE FIRST BARRIER: ROBO INFERNO!"_ Present Mic's voice blasted from the speakers as the zero-pointers from the regular entrance exam blocked the path.

" _Good thing I don't need to take these down, getting around shouldn't be hard."_ Machibuse mused as he studied the possible paths.

Todoroki once again attacked, a massive wave of ice left only the frozen constructs as Todoroki ran between the immobilized enemies. He ran leaving more ice behind him and the robots were bound to fall apart sooner or later.

Hakuba followed, taking the lead from amongst those who decided to use Todoroki's opening.

"Bad idea, I froze them in some pretty unstable positions… so they'd fall." Todoroki warned nonchalantly as the pieces of frozen metal fell behind him.

He didn't bother looking back. Good.

" _1-A'S TODOROKI! BURSTING THROUGH AND SABOTAGING THE OTHERS IN ONE MOVE! HE IS COLD!...WAIT!"_ Present Mic's voice through the stereo gave away Hakuba's position.

Ice wasn't a deterrent for Hakuba's movements, and even if Todoroki had bested him in the Quirk Apprehension Test' overall results, Hakuba had a similar result to Todoroki's on the fifty-meter dash, and the later used his Quirk to propel him forward.

Todoroki barely had time to put up an ice wall as the hooks in Machibuse's hand approached his left shoulder. Hakuba clicked his tongue as the announcer blew his sneak attack. Todoroki may be one stuck up asshole, but he will not let his guard down like this a second time.

He knew that Todoroki's ice came from his right, so even if he failed to connect, Todoroki would need to turn, and that small opening was enough for him to circle around the dual colored hair teen and leap with both feet in his direction.

Someone less skilled would be downed there, but Machibuse was well aware of Todoroki's capabilities, and had accounted for them.

Another chunk of ice formed.

Machibuse used it to spring forward to the lead and now Todoroki would waste more time moving around his own ice. The only possibility for Todoroki to reach him in a race would be if he used his Quirk to propel himself like he did on the fifty-meter dash or during the Recommendation Exam, but there was no way that Todoroki would be able to keep this up until the end of the race and Machibuse had stamina in spades.

" _1-A'S MACHIBUSE TOOK THE OPENING TO LITERALY JUMP AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION! ONE HIT FROM HIM AND YOU ARE AS GOOD AS OUT OF THE RACE!...wait, what do you mean with "My commentary ruined his strategy." mummy-head?"_ the announcer bantered with Aisawa.

"I am afraid I can't just stand out of your way Todoroki-san, I apologize." Machibuse allowed himself to banter as he took the lead. I was unlikely that taunting would get under Todoroki's skin, but it felt good just to trash talk the class strongest.

It was just mater of keeping the lead now.

Blasts coming from behind warned Machibuse that either Bakugo or Yaoyorozu were approaching, the former being the more likely as Yaoyorozu wasn't stupid to cannon herself this far.

Bakugo's foul mouth also gave his identity away.

Something appeared as Machibuse took a turn, seemed like a hole.

" _SO THE FIRST BARRIER WAS A PIECE OF CAKE, HUH!? HAVE A LOOK AT THE SECOND! CRAW YOUR ASS TO THE OTHER SIDE IF YOU DON'T WANNA LITERALY FALL OFF THE RACE! THIS IS THE SECOND BARRIER: THE FALL!"_ Present Mic's voice was starting to give Hakuba the migraines, but at least he had an explanation. It was a pit with ropes hung above it, he just needed to cross.

And so Machibuse continued, he had a decent lead on Todoroki, so he could risk running over the ropes. Running on wire was easy for him, but it did hinder his speed enough that both Todoroki and Bakugo would catch up or even pass him. Third place was good enough in his mind, and with the two would be fighting the whole way to the finish line, so he could just snag the first place from under their noses.

" _In war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won."_ Machibuse repeated to himself in his mind as he took a longer route to cross the chasm, Bakugo and Todoroki waiting for one another to make a mistake as they both passed him. He lost his lead, but now he would not have to worry about being targeted by the two.

" _IN AN UNEXPECTED TURN OF EVENTS THE FORMER LEAD DECIDED TO AVOID CONFLICT AND ALLOW 1-A'S TODOROKI AND BAKUGO TO FIGHT FOR THE FIRST PLACE! MACHIBUSE, STOP SCHEEMING AND START FIGHTING!"_ the announcer jabbed at Machibuse, causing him to shrug as he kept his pace. By his estimates Bakugo would reach Todoroki soon enough, then he would close the distance.

By now he could see the main body of students making their way to the second barrier's gate. Iida, Tsuyu and, surprisingly, Hatsume were making good progress. Hakuba could see her swinging around on what looked like a wire attached to an arrow, likely something she had in the works for his quiver.

Well, no time to dally. From what the obnoxious announcer spoke Todoroki had just made it to the final obstacle, some sort of minefield, with Bakugo on his heels.

One sharp turn allowed Hakuba to see Bakugo taking the lead. Todoroki was just a few steps in the minefield, forced to take his time to find the explosives, when Bakugo came flying. To his merit Todoroki managed to freeze Bakugo's arm and now they were running head to head, trading blows while keeping an eye on the bombs.

Following in their steps was easy enough, there was no need to look for the mines if he kept stepping on the same ground as the two. They couldn't really turn to fight him without giving the other a lead and when the time was right Machibuse could just close the distance and strike both his classmates down in one go.

The pace of the three leaders however was heavily bogged down by the fact that they needed to avoid the mines and the others had started to close the distance. Many blasts issued as the less aware stepped on the minefield.

About thirty feet to the end of the minefield. Now it was time for him to charge forward.

Machibuse dove headfirst in between the two leaders the moment he spotted a safe landing area. With one jerking motion he planted his hands firmly on the ground and extended his legs towards his adversaries. Both Todoroki and Bakugo had to jump back as the chelicerae on Machibuse's soles threatened their advance. Machibuse had assumed the lead once again.

Unless…

Just as Machibuse was about to roll forwards and sprint to the finish line a massive blast rocked the area, his head was upside down as he observed the mass of pink smoke rocketing something in his direction.

Fucking Midoriya once again proved that he was either destined to the top or to a psychiatrical ward. The madman was riding the shockwave on some piece of junk.

" _CLASS 1-A'S MIDORIYA RIDES THE WAVE IN HOT PURSUIT!"_ Present Mic was absolutely losing it.

" _HE PASSED THEM!"_ he continued. This was not good.

Machibuse quickly jumped towards the closest safe spot. Bakugo was using his explosions to catch up and Todoroki finally decided to use his ice to make a safe path. Not an instant later Machibuse was already on the safe path Todoroki so gracefully provided.

Midoriya was about to land within the mine field. This was absolutely the worst scenario as Machibuse was quick to spot a mine in Midoriya's landing zone. He threw himself over the mine as he watched the madman spin his impromptu shield down towards the explosive, using both Todoroki and Bakugo as footing.

Hakuba could see the piece of metal being swung in slow motion behind him.

There was a loud clang and then everything else was smoke. The blast was strong enough to knock weaker people unconscious with ease, but luckily for Machibuse his plan to throw himself over the bomb caused him to be launched forward. Midoriya was still ways ahead, but second place was uncontested at this point.

" _THE ONE TO MAKE IT BACK TO THE STADIUM IN FIRST PLACE IS NONE OTHER THAN MIDORIYA IZUKU!"_ Present Mic shouted in excitement.

Machibuse could hear the crowd going absolutely wild with this latest development…

He could hear the crowd…

The crowd…

Machibuse froze less than five meters from the finish line, just before the tunnel that shielded him from his fears ended.

He trembled.

Todoroki passed him.

Bakugo passed him.

Honenuki passed him.

Ojiro passed him.

Shoji passed him. Hitting him in the back of the head as he did so.

"Get yourself together or you get the tank!" Shoji shouted.

Machibuse reluctantly made his way into the arena.

He dropped from second to fifteenth because he was a coward.

And everyone watched.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Random bit of information, Sato was originally the one to tale the fifteenth place, so I actually had no changes to do in regard to the actual rankings. This was absolutely something that happened by chance, as I just planned for Hakuba to be behind Shoji.**_

 _ **Cavalry battle is next!**_

 _ **EDIT: Mom's Spaghetti**_


	12. Control

**March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, Time Unknown.**

Years in the military academy taught Hakuba how to handle many stressful situations. Life taught him many others. He picked up the habit of counting down during one night in the field, he clung to his support's estimated time of arrival as a lifeline to keep himself from giving in and his second-hand watch was running low on batteries, so he counted down every second until they arrived. Counting down subconsciously became a part of his mentality after that; he would count down timers to assignments, count down to his appointments' scheduled times, count down to his chemicals estimated duration. He would know how many seconds stood between him and dinner, the microwave's digital timer was just a fixture at this point. His capability of keeping track of time without thinking was a weird talent, but a useful one.

Hakuba knew that the U.A. Sports Festival's closing ceremony was scheduled to around 1430, and he had that timer running in the back of his mind since the opening ceremony. Twelve thousand and six hundred seconds to extraction.

And then the finish line happened.

His mental timer completely blanked out.

Crippling fear to Hakuba manifested in the sensation of being stuck in one moment of terror. He knew that around 1430 he would be out of the stadium, but he couldn't tell if he stood still before the finish line for a second or a hundred, and that meant for Hakuba that he could not tell how long his torment would last.

He was aware that Shoji more or less pushed him across the line, but he didn't know whether it took him and instant or an eternity to follow his friend and the idea of the whole nation watching him stuck for an abstract amount of time absolutely terrified him.

He wanted to run and hide, but how could he escape from all the onlookers? From the cameras?

He didn't even know how long it would take for him to drug himself asleep as a last resort. And even if he knew, the fear of exposing himself anymore to the spectators was likely the one thing preventing the ploy. Everyone would see his incapability to cope.

How many seconds had passed since he crossed the finish line? Was the race over already? If it wasn't he could just run outside while the gates were open…

Yes, that was a good plan, he could hide on the trees outside. There were no spectators on the trees. Rodents, bugs and birds at most, and those were stares he could deal with…

Hakuba turned to run, the gate was still open with people still coming through. He could just barely see Ashido just nearing its entrance, Koda was a few steps behind her. Her mouth moved, and she had a troubled expression in her face, she was likely complaining.

Not that Hakuba could even discern any sound other than the crowds incessant babbling surrounding him.

No… there was something else.

A voice he knew, close to the finish line.

Momo just made it across and was now moving away from the main path, her face absolutely disgruntled by something. She spoke but Hakuba could not make sense of her words. She seemed distressed about something as if something chased her right behind her back.

" _You are a hero, to me at the very least..."_

The words she spoke to him yesterday were the first cohesive thought that crossed his mind since all this started. His most basic instincts shouted for him to run, but that single strand of rationality forced him to meet her even if on wobbly legs, anchoring him to the bounds of the stadium. Momo needed his help and he would not leave her behind.

Hakuba still couldn't process what she spoke, but now he could hear a second voice coming from behind her…

Mineta jumped from her back. His face bruised but carrying the smile of someone who just conquered a mountain.

The damn leech.

Hakuba couldn't give two shits about the people watching right now. Momo, _his Momo_ , spent two weeks preparing for this damned event and the little creep had the audacity to drag her down in his antics.

The crippling fear quickly boiled into sheer red anger as a way out once the catalyst was provided.

He caved in.

All chelicerae sprung from their slits, Hakuba's clothing providing little resistance as the chitinous hooks tore holes into it. No longer Hakuba walked like a coward, each step leaving imprints on the floor as the weapons in his soles buried down. This time there would be no stalking, no hunt, no ambush.

Both Mineta and Yaoyorozu noticed what was about to happen, the aggression was palpable. Mineta knew that if he ran Hakuba would pounce him down in an instant, but the same carnage would happen if he stood still.

Machibuse Hakuba moved as if ready to kill.

"This one time you get to walk away. Next time you might not be so lucky." Yaoyorozu warned in a tone as hard as her expression, Mineta was still frozen in place as she walked to meet Machibuse midway.

All the pressure she knew was upon his shoulders had caused Hakuba to completely snap, his eyes locked into his target as if it was prey. It was clear to her that he wasn't even thinking now, his instinct to flight now turned to fight.

Normally she would slap him out of it, but that would not end well. Machibuse would likely respond with aggression and she was… afraid of him.

This Hakuba scared her.

She wanted the other Hakuba back.

She stepped in his way with some hesitance and reached for his face slowly, cupping his cheek.

"Come back to me…please." Yaoyorozu whispered to him, some fear seeping in her voice as she gently moved his gaze from Mineta.

He didn't respond for a few seconds, but she could see his shoulders weaving as he took long, deep breaths.

The chelicerae slowly retracted, she could see his eyes averting to the ground as he clenched his teeth, he refused to face her.

"I apologize ma'am." Hakuba spoke after a short pause only peppered by the sounds of the crowd that luckily had their eyes glued either to the finish line or to the screen that displayed the results of the race. Jiro had just taken twenty-first.

He slowly walked away from her, slumping against the stone wall before sliding to the ground. He still refused to look in her direction.

Momo was unsure whether or not to approach him.

"Happened only once before. I developed my phobia then… being stared at by so many people reminds me of that day." Hakuba explained to her, his toes curling against the floor as he closed his arms around himself in fear, his right hand grasping on his tattooed arm like a vice.

By now some of the other students started to arrive, Shoji, Iida, Kirishima and Ashido. Jiro was sure to follow soon enough.

"That sure was a way to scare the little pervert away." Ashido spoke, her carefree demeanor gave away that she failed to observe the real danger of the situation.

"Even if you are fighting just to deal with the event, that was a very… efficient way to deal with Mineta's misbehavior." Iida offered, he was well aware of Machibuse's condition but like all the others who approached just now he likely couldn't see the anger in Hakuba's eyes.

"Sucks about your uniform though." Kirishima mused, his head turning to watch as Mineta slowly made his way to the other side of the stadium in panic.

"Y-yeah…" Yaoyorozu offered, relieved that no one picked up on the actual scenario assumed that Machibuse was just intimidating Mineta.

Shoji had a serious look however. Not only he was absurdly perceptive, but he was likely one of the few people that could read Machibuse with some degree of precision. Shoji knew that his friend had snapped and that his current panic had less to do with the crowd than it seemed.

Momo just gave him a small nod to confirm his suspicion.

"Can you stand?" Shoji spoke as he approached Machibuse, who was still siting against the concrete wall.

"Am I getting another bath? I assumed that you would drag me." the grounded teen quipped to defuse the situation.

Shoji just stared at his fried in silence, shoulders slumped in a sigh.

"If anything this whole deal got me out of shock. I will be on my feet in a minute." Machibuse assured, his face now had its usual semblance.

Yaoyorozu then sat by Machibuse's side, but she still kept some distance just in case.

"I will not push if you don't want to talk about it, but I am calling off our date if you do this again." Momo offered with some joviality in her voice, causing Ashido to panic for a moment.

Hakuba however understood what she meant. That now she was scared like he was. That the stares of the crowd caused him to lose himself and brought to light the worst in him.

Momo stopped him from doing something terrible and gave him a second chance.

Hakuba would not disappoint her.

She meant too much.

-.

 **March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, 1125.**

The gates have closed, all the forty-two candidates still in the competition were now called back to the center. Machibuse had his attention split between the dais where Midnight stood and the oppressive attention centered on his location. He had been the last one to join the mass of students, not only it took him more than a minute to get back on his feet, but he also needed to retrieve his discarded shoes. Only one half of the pair was located, the second likely was kicked outside during the chaos of the starting line.

If he failed to retrieve the lost footwear he'd have to ask Momo to use her Quirk to create a replacement, but that was a last resort. She was only a few feet away from him at the moment, but Hakuba felt like she would not appreciate being used as a toolbox. He surely disliked being used as a walking drugstore. By the time being he would just store his lonely shoe under the dais.

"Good work making it here! Now the real selection begins! The press will be ready to jump from their seats, so give it all you got!" Midnight praised the remaining attendees as to give continuity to the event.

"Now on the second event! I already know what is coming but I am sure you younglings are dying in anticipation!" the referee teased as numerous different possible games quickly cycled on the main screen.

 _CAVALRY BATTLE_

"This is it! Participants will now form teams on their own, two to four in a horse-rider formation! The rules are fundamentally the same, you steal the opponents head-bands while protecting yours… each of you have been assigned a number of points according to your placement in the race." Midnight explained.

"So we point value of each team depends on their members…" someone spoke in the crowd, cutting her speek.

"SHUT IT AND STOP DOING MY JOB!... Anyway, each team will have a number of points equal to the sum of its members and your individual points are tied to your placement in the race starting from bottom up: The last candidate to finish the race will be worth five points, the second to last ten and so on." Midnight continued.

" _So I will be contributing one hundred and forty points to the team total…"_ Machibuse's quick math was interrupted by an announcement from the referee.

"However, our first place will be worth a little more… ten million points."

" _Ok, dodged quite the bullet right there…"_ Machibuse mentally felt the weight of being the main target lifting. He had already cracked with just the spectators looking in his general direction, that much attention would likely get him to pass out on his own vomit. Poor Deku wasn't having the time of his life at the moment either, at least there was some sympathy between the two in that aspect.

It was a manhunt at this point.

"Quirks are allowed so this will be a brutal battle, there is no need to panic if your points are stolen of if your formation falls, what matters is that you are on top by the end of the timer! Maliciously attacking another team to make them fall will still net you a red card however." Midnight continued on with the rules.

"There is more suffering ahead for those who aim for the top… Go beyond. Plus Ultra." Midnight concluded her speak.

They had fifteen minutes to form their teams, no wonder the game wanted them to do it by themselves instead of having some random draft or equalizing the results to build balanced teams. The arena was now a negotiation table of the highest stakes.

Machibuse instantly looked for his friends, he would work best with someone he knew.

He could see Kirishima and Ashido among the people crowding over Bakugo, Shoji was staring down on Mineta pleading for help, Jiro was speaking with Hagakure… who for some reason started to take of her top.

A hand reached for his shoulder as he spotted Momo.

"So, how about you join me?"

-.

 **March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, 1135.**

"Machibuse is too mentally unstable to be relied upon during the event, even if his Quirk makes for a close range deterrent as good as Kaminari's Electrification without the need to worry about collateral damage." Todoroki explained his reasoning as they discussed strategies. The stern teen had approached her immediately after Midnight finished speaking. Iida joined them briefly but soon left as Midoriya called him. For a moment she thought that the class president was about to jump ship, but instead he delivered his own challenge to his friend before coming back.

Took Momo a while to resume looking for Kaminari after that. Truth is that she was looking for Hakuba anyway but found him following Aoyama and the same purple haired student from the General Studies Course that had come to their doorstep with a declaration of war. It was a very unexpected team, but Hakuba was not shaking and his expression was still as usual, so he likely had a plan.

Iida had been the one to spot Kaminari, who was amongst the group that failed to join Bakugo. Team Todoroki was now ready to take the victory planned by their leader.

Yaoyorozu didn't exactly liked the idea of Todoroki having the final say in everything, but she had performed badly in the race and needed to show her prowess to the scouts.

"Yaoyorozu, I can't have you worring about the enemy." Todoroki's cold voice came from behind her. He had been averse to the idea of joining forces with Machibuse since the beginning, likely because Hakuba almost took him out of the race on the first obstacle and, at least in theory, had beaten him to the finish line. Not to mention their exchange in the prep room. Todoroki saw Machibuse as a threat and wanted him out of the competition.

Did that mean that she wasn't a worth competitor to Todoroki?

She forced the thought out of her mind.

"I will just go wish him good luck. We both know he needs it in here." Yaoyorozu replied before making her way towards Machibuse's team.

"Be quick." Todoroki pretty much ordered.

By now Hakuba's team had acquired a fourth member in Ojiro. Yaoyorozu couldn't see what exact synergy his martial arts talent created alongside Aoyama's Navel Laser and Hakuba's Chelicerae. They planned to brute force through the Cavalry Battle? Or did the student from the General Studies had a Quirk that tied it all together?

Still, she had no time to ask, not only was the event about to start but she could feel Todoroki condemning her every step.

Hakuba didn't react to her approaching, maybe he was tuning out the crowd or something.

Regardless, she just came to his side and pinched his ear to get his attention.

"Good luck idiot, do your best…" she spoke with a smirk on her face before running back.

"OW! Huh… thank you?" Machibuse spoke as she left, she barely heard his confused response.

There was a palpable moment of awkwardness amidst Team Shinso.

"I don't know what you did, but I can work with that." Machibuse turned to the leader of his team.

"I am more useful if I can use my powers on my own, but feel free to assume control if I start panicking." Machibuse said with a certainty that his voice lacked since arriving at the stadium. He just had found the one person with a Quirk capable of suppressing his stage fright.

"Machibuse Hakuba, class 1-A, at your orders." he offered.

"Shinso Hitoshi, 1-C." his newfound best teammate replied, not able to hide his surprise.

"Glad to make your acquaintance Major."

-.

 **March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, 1140.**

All teams were at ready, the stage was set but for the first time Machibuse was willing to step on it.

Team Shinso was worth a total of 385 Points but that mattered very little. If Shinso could really just ask for an enemy rider to just drop his bandana then all Hakuba needed to do was to protect him during the final moments of the battle. This not only meant that they had an easy path to victory, but also meant that they could just keep their distance from the main battle that would for sure take place around Midoriya, and that kept Hakuba away from the spotlight… he could even breath calmly with that in mind.

There were thirty-eight enemies, seventeen of those knew what his Quirk did so they would avoid closing in, and Present Mic was kind enough to warn everyone about how dangerous one hit from the chelicerae was during the race. From his class only Sero and Tokoyami would be capable of aiming for Shinso's bandana without being in range for a counterattack. Todoroki could try something, but since Shinso ordered both Aoyama and Ojiro to follow Hakuba's lead it would be easy enough to just avoid Team Todoroki altogether. Team Midoriya was also to be avoided, the ten million bandana would bring unnecessary attention.

"Major, I trust that our battle plan is solid." Machibuse spoke as he continued to study the other formations.

"Yeah, just get close enough to another team and I will get it done. Still, why are you calling me Major?" Shinso questioned, clearly amused by the unexpected development.

"I was in a military academy before joining the Hero Course. One of my classmates calls me Captain." Machibuse answered as he gestured towards Team Hagakure with his head.

"So even in class 1-A you are willing to have someone from the General Studies giving you orders? And why is there a floating bandana there?" Shinso asked, both questions carrying a great deal of curiosity.

"I am under your orders, so you are the Major: Don't care what class you are in. The floating bandana is one of my classmates, Hagakure Toru, she is permanently invisible due to her Quirk." Machibuse explained.

Shinso noted how Hagakure's horse was carrying an empty pair of pants that somehow retained the shape of human legs.

"Yes, she took of her shirt in the middle of the stadium." Machibuse answered the unspoken question.

Shinso only stared blankly.

"Major, one last question: How come you are not in the Hero Course with a Quirk like yours?" Machibuse asked.

Shinso didn't answer immediately.

" _LET'S GET A BATTLE CRY! HERE COMES THE STARTING SIGNAL!"_

Questions would be answered later.

" _3"_

" _2"_

" _1"_

" _START!"_

"Marching on ahead Major! Eighteen hundred seconds left!" Machibuse dug his chelicerae on the ground. Normally he would use them to speed ahead, but he couldn't expect Aoyama to keep up with his pace for too long and he had a passenger, this time he had the weapons ready just to give him a better footing in case of a collision.

Chaos was immediate.

"THIS IS A BATTLE FOR THE TEN MILLION POINTS!" someone shouted as a great majority of the teams closed in on Midoriya. The fellow from class 1-B that came to their door, apparently all his communications was done via shouting.

He was right however, Midoriya was absolutely the center of attention. Eight of the twelve teams were clearly after him. One team however called Machibuse's attention. He shot a quick glance at the scoreboard

"Major, we have someone camping around as well, Team Monoma. We are not the only lowlifes waiting the timer." Machibuse informed.

"Lowlifes eh?" Shinso cracked a smile after that.

"BOTH THE DODGEDLY PURSUED TEAM MIDORIYA AND ITS DETERMINED PURSUERS FROM CLASS A ARE NOTHING TO SNEEZE AT!" Present Mic interrupted their conversation.

"My chelicerae drugs whomever I hit, and I'm well know in my class for using every dirt trick in the book to get this one hit in. Can't say I fight like a hero." Machibuse spoke, the announcer's voice would sooner or later give him the migraines.

That seemed to hit Shinso right where it mattered.

Neither of them cared that Team Todoroki came running at top speed from behind them and stole their 385 points, the chelicerae kept them from being pushed too much and Shinso managed to brace himself.

"Are you even trying Hakuba!?" Momo asked as they made their escape, half a taunt and half a real question.

"Negative ma'am. We have no need to act before the right time." Hakuba answered back. This earned a curious stare not only from Momo, but from her team as a whole.

"Your girlfriend?" Shinso mused as Team Todoroki started to head towards the center of the battle.

"Permission to break protocol?" Machibuse asked.

"What?" Shinso gave a confused look towards his partner.

Habuka just waited for an answer.

Team Shinso stood still for a while as their rider adjusted his position after the attack they just received.

"You are still waiting for me to allow you to speak?" Shinso asked as he studied the battlefield.

Hakuba only nodded.

"Sure, speak up." Shinso said with a sigh.

"Go fuck yourself Major…" Hakuba said, his expression one of true fatigue as he turned to face his rider.

Shinso only quirked and eyebrow as he returned to a more stable position.

"Regardless, Team Todoroki is likely the most dangerous in play, and they will avoid us for the rest of the match from now on." Machibuse informed.

"You sure about that?" Shinso asked as they continued to move towards the outskirts of the main battle.

"Affirmative. Now that I said we would act only after some time they will expect me to have some sort of stratagem in the works. And since they don't know about your Quirk they will be on their toes about dealing with us." Machibuse explained the small trick he had just pulled.

Team Shinso now approached the crowd, they basically had no reason to worry about being attacked again. They had no points to defend and Hakuba's quick feet led the horse out of the path of those that wanted to fight. They just stalled for time

" _Three hundred and eighteen, three hundred and seventeen, two hundred and sixteen…"_ Hakuba counted down as something caught his eye, Momo was creating something larger than usual. He remembered seeing a cloth like that back in the USJ.

"Major, we better pull back." Machibuse informed as he led the horse away from the danger Kaminari presented to everyone in the vicinity.

There was a bright flash as electricity crackled amidst the arena.

A few seconds later the announcer broke the news.

" _WHAT'S THAT NOW!? TODOROKI'S TAKEN OUT A HERD OF CAVALRY TEAMS IN ONE ATTACK!"_ Present Mic shouted.

"He waited to freeze them in place when they were stopped by Kaminari. He must have recalled how many of the competitors were able to avoid his ice during the obstacle course." Aisawa commented on the situation, his voice much less excited than his partner's.

Todoroki not only had taken the opportunity to freeze a good number of teams to the floor but to create a wall around Team Midoriya.

The battlefield was now divided. The two most troublesome teams locked behind an ice wall and they were approaching the four-minute mark by now. It was safe to assume that Bakugo would go after the ten million since he could break the ice wall with his explosions or just by using Kirishima as a battering ram.

"Ideal target located Major." Machibuse spoke as they continued to stalk for openings.

"Team Tetsutetsu." Shinso also had found their target.

Machibuse nodded, it was good to work with someone that thought like him for once.

"Their front horse, Honenuki Juzo, can soften what he touches, he can make the ground turn into quicksand. Their right horse from what I observed can control the vines in her hair." Machibuse added as he now began to align his path with Team Tetsutetsu's.

"We strike from their left then. If their left horse did not display his Quirk until now then he likely does not have one suited to fight of a head-on approach like the one needed here.

"Sixty seconds." Machibuse counted, he could feel himself tensing as the time to strike approached.

"Want me to take over?" Shinso offered.

"That maybe…" Machibuse was cut midsentence. Shinso had already taken over.

" _WHAT A REVERSAL! TEAM TODOROKI NOW HAS THE TEN MILLION AND TEAM MIDORIYA PLUMETED STRAIGHT DOWN TO ZERO!"_ Unfortunately for Hakuba he could still hear Present Mic screaming over the speakers.

" _Twenty, nineteen, eighteen, seventeen…"_ He couldn't control his body but he could still count down, so he did that at least.

" _10!"_

" _9!"_

" _8!"_

" _Well now Mic is fucking counting down with me, how delightful."_ Hakuba wanted to press his ears shut, but he couldn't deny that the pressure from the final moments of the race would easily made him freeze in fear. Shinso's Quirk was a blessing.

" _7!"_

" _6!"_

"Hey! I'm surprised that the support casting from class B is still in this game!" Shinso taunted the target.

" _5!"_

"THE FUCK DID YOU JUS…" Tetsutetsu fell for it.

" _4!"_

"Now, be nice and let me get those bandanas." Shinso asked as he was carried forward, the enemy just lowering his arms as commanded.

" _3!"_

" _2!"_

"Thank you for your cooperation." Shinso grinned as the enemy was left dumbfounded by what happened.

" _1!"_

" _TIME'S UP! LET US SEE WHO ARE OUR TOP FOUR TEAMS!"_ Present Mic ended the match.

Shinso jumped down from the horse, releasing his Quirk as he touched the ground.

"Good work team." he said somewhat ironically as he made his way out.

Machibuse bowed his thanks, Ojiro was left trying to understand what happened and Aoyama had a weird expression on his face while sweating bullets.

" _IN FIRST PLACE, TEAM TODOROKI! IN SECOND, TEAM BAKUGO! IN THIRD PLACE IS TEAM… SHINSO!? HOW THE HELL!? AND IN FOURTH PLACE WE HAVE TEAM MIDORIYA! THESE SIXTEEN STUDENTS WILL PROCEED TO THE FINAL EVENT AFTER WE HAVE OUR ONE-HOUR LUNCH BREAK!...hey eraser wanna go grab a bite?"_ The announcer concluded his screaming for the moment.

Present Mic finally stopped talking.

Hakuba was finally allowed to leave the damn arena for a moment.

He made it to the final event without even having to worry.

He was looking forward to eating in those real nice-looking stands outside the stadium.

And he made a new friend.

Things were really good right now.

He just needed to find his missing shoe.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Some writer's block had to be cleared for this one, but I think it was a good way out. Shinso is one of my favorite characters and I wanted to get some interaction between him and Hakuba.**_

 _ **We are finally getting to the one on one fights, and let me say, poor Hakuba has his work cut out for him.**_

 _ **PTSD says hi.**_


	13. To think about someone

**March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, 1220.**

It was not that Machibuse felt uncomfortable going around barefoot, he actually preferred to be able to feel his footing as directly as possible, its just that he considered improper to do so in a public space. Midnight had been kind enough as to ask for the staff to open one of the access doors to the other side of the gate used for the starting line of the first event so Hakuba could go search for his footwear in the tunnel.

Didn't took him long to locate the missing shoe but still he walked barefoot; his shoe, the poor thing, was caught in Todoroki's first attack in the tunnel and by the time Hakuba retrieved it the ice had already melted, leaving his shoe completely damp. Hakuba now resigned to carrying his shoes back to the prep room so at least he wouldn't lose them.

Regardless, he was hungry and having to prance around barefoot would not stop him from having his meal, so he quickly picked up pace after storing his belongings.

" _I have enough time to reach Lunch Rush, can always trust the man's curry… no, fighting on a stomach full like that would be bad, something small, finger food will have to do and I have enough time to wait in line because of the recreational games will take place before the main event… from what I remember seeing when I arrived there was a Takoyaki stand being set up, suppose I might give it a go. That and some tea for my nerves… peppermint can net me some decent chemicals for a focus enhancing drug. That or I can just go for some energy drink that doesn't taste like shit… well speaking about shit, the hell is Bakugo doing?"_ Hakuba's inner monologue was interrupted as he saw his classmate with his back firmly against the wall of the corridor. Was he spying on someone?

Bakugo shot him a glance as he brought on finger to his lips demanding silence. Hakuba could faintly hear Uraraka speaking with Iida in the distance but they didn't seem to be the marks that Bakugo was stalking.

"There is definitely something you are hiding. I am sure of it." Todoroki's voice came from just around the corner.

Machibuse wasn't one in position to judge people for hiding stuff, but Todoroki's usually bland voice had something other than his usual arrogance… who was he talking to?

"You know, my father is Endeavor, the second greatest hero of all time. So if you are somehow connected to the number one then I have all the more reason to crush you." Todoroki continued with venom enough to give Machibuse a run for his money once he spoke the number two's name. "My dad is a bastard who only thinks about becoming more powerful, and All Might is an unsurpassable roadblock to him… so he came up with another plan."

"W-why are you telling me all this Todoroki-san?" Midoriya's voice came from near Todoroki's position.

" _Midoriya is connected to All Might as it seems."_ Machibuse concluded. Now he understood why Bakugo was spying, both his main adversaries were in the corridor.

"Quirk marriages. Strong individuals would choose a partner and force them into marriage just to pass a strengthened version of their Quirks to their offspring… with his wealth and fame my father made my mother's family agree to the marriage. Raising me as a hero just to fulfil his ambitions to surpass All Might." Todoroki explained. Quirk marriages were something that Machibuse had some knowledge about, unfortunately they had been a common practice in the military for many years.

"I hate it! I'm just a tool for that walking pile of human garbage! I can still remember my mother crying as she poured boiling water on my face, she couldn't stand the sight of my left side." Todoroki revealed.

Bakugo and Machibuse both looked at each other from their respective hiding spots, no words were needed to express how they felt about the disturbing news.

The sound of Todoroki's steps moving away instinctively prompted Machibuse to lean closer.

"Your connection to All Might, keep it to yourself, I will not pry into it. But I will rise above you without my old man's Quirk. I will be at the top and deny him everything." Todoroki concluded.

Machibuse could hear Midoriya following him, but he had already heard more than enough. One quick step carried across the opening to hallway where the conversation just took place without the two marks noticing, now he was at Bakugo's side and motioned for them both to leave.

Hakuba didn't need any more tension in his day, he just wanted his lunch.

Now he really had to get something to help him focus.

-.

 **March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, 1300.**

Hakuba was still digesting. Not his food but the information regarding Todoroki's less than spectacular upbringing. He couldn't even begin to relate to Todoroki's situation.

Machibuse came back to the central arena still carrying his unopened box of Takoyaki that he intended to finish during the recreational games. According to the information he received he just needed to be present to draw his number in the final part of the event and he would be excused for the next half hour.

"Partner! Gotta speak with you!" a familiar voice came from behind him just as he neared out of the tunnel, the steps behind him sounding like someone walking on steel soled boots.

"Hatsume-san." Machibuse bowed as he turned to greet his "partner". He couldn't deny that seeing Hatsume Mei making it to the final stage surprised him, as far as he knew she had little to no combat training and had relied only on her support equipment to carry her. If anything this proved how good her craftsmanship was.

"So, tell me… the vast majority of the finalists are from your class, right? I want you to introduce me to whoever I am up against next! I have some business in this tournament to get my babies the attention they deserve." Hatsume asked, as usual she was very direct with her marketing strategy.

"No problem ma'am. I Suppose that you are already acquainted with a few of them, but if it's someone you don't know just call me once the lots are drawn and I will accompany you." Machibuse agreed, suspicious that she was scheming something outrageous.

"Knew I could count on you! Now you better get some good exposition out there! We from the Support Course come to this event to show our creations to the investors. You hero wannabees get internships based on how good you do here, and I don't want to see my top client going under the wing of some nobody! I want you to get Japan's top 10 to see my babies in all their glory!" The engineer bumped her fist against his chest.

She then proceeded to shamelessly open Hakuba's box of Takoyaki and steal the biggest one before leaving with a wide smile and a good spring in her step, she wanted as much time as possible to show her babies to the investors in the stadium.

Hakuba was left staring at the now empty spot in his meal for a moment before another known voice called his attention.

"That is her way of saying "do your best"?" Jiro asked as she approached alongside the other girls of class 1-A.

"I guess…" Machibuse spoke as he closed the box in his hand, he would continue with his answer but the realization that all the girls were wearing cheerleader outfits interrupted him. He was visibly confused as he studied the sight with most of his deliberation directed towards Momo. A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one.

They all had the very same deadpan expression.

"Permission to break protocol?" he asked, not bothering to hide his curiosity about their attire.

"Don't even dare." Momo responded flatly, her cheeks clearly flustered.

Machibuse only nodded in acceptance as he made his way into the arena alongside the girls in silence.

" _WE EVEN SHIPPED CHEERLIDERS FROM AMERICA TO GET YOU PUMPED UP… CLASS A? WHY!?"_ Present Mic questioned over the speakers as all the other students turned to face them.

"MINETA! KAMINARI! YOU TRICKED US!?" Momo shouted in anger while the two perverts had beaming smiles in their faces.

"How'd I let myself get fooled by Mineta's stupid prank…" she lowered her head in defeat while Uraraka tried to comfort her.

Jiro was absolutely pissed as she threw her pompoms to the ground.

At least Hagakure was having fun.

Apparently all the forty-two candidates that made it to the Cavalry Battle were asked to come back to the arena, but only the sixteen finalists were called forward for the moment.

" _ONCE THE RECREATIONAL COMPETITION IS OVER WE WILL MOVE TO THE FINAL EVENT! A FORMAL TOURNAMENT BETWEEN THE SIXTEEN MEMBERS OF THE FOUR WINNING TEAMS OF THE CAVALRY BATTLE! ONE-ON-ONE BATTLES TO DECIDE THE CHAMPION."_ the announcer explained as Midnight carried a box to the dais.

"It is up to each of you that made it to the finals whether or not join the fun. I expect some of you would prefer to take a breather and save your strength… Now, let's start by the first-place team." Midnight instructed but something called her attention.

Ojiro had his hand up.

"I…I'd like to withdraw." Ojiro spoke with some difficulty, his eyes not moving from the ground.

"WHAT!?"

"OJIRO WHY!?"

People were shocked by his decision and asking him to reconsider, but he was already decided.

"The Cavalry Battle… I have no memories of what happened up until the very end. It was probably his Quirk that did it." Ojiro shot a glance at Shinso as he explained. "I know this is a great opportunity and it maybe stupid to throw it away… but everyone else here made it with their own efforts. I don't even know how I got here, and I can't take it."

"You are thinking too hard! Just show what you got in the tournament!" Hagakure pushed against his decision.

"Yeah, by that logic I shouldn't be here either!" Ashido added.

"No… I'm talking about my pride here. I just don't think it's right." Ojiro looked down once more before turning his gaze towards Machibuse.

"…"

"…"

"Bold of you to assume that I have any pride left to defend." Machibuse asserted finally turning to face Ojiro.

Both Ojiro and Machibuse had completely forgotten that Aoyama was part of their team and the blonde just did his best to not draw attention.

"How naïve… I LIKE IT!" Midnight exclaimed as she accepted Ojiro's withdraw.

"Someone from Team Kendo then will replace Ojiro!" the referee decided, but once more she was interrupted.

"If it's like this then let someone from Team Tetsutetsu take his place. We were immobilized the whole time, just happened that we had points by the end of the event." Kendo spoke.

With that Shiozaki was put back into the tournament.

After that the candidates drew number from the box in Midnight's hands one by one.

Machibuse ended as the thirteenth contender, so that meant his opponent was…

"YEAH!" Kirishima shouted in excitement.

"Looks like we get to fight on my terms after all!" the redhead turned to Machibuse with a toothy smile that stretched from ear to ear.

Hakuba shared none of his morale.

This was bad, not only he would be put up against the one direct counter to his Quirk, but he was to do it on the worst kind of scenario with the whole nation watching him. And, if he won, Bakugo was surely to be his next opponent. And they would fight in the same conditions.

Machibuse's expression could not hide the blood draining from his face.

"Hey!" a hand landed on his shoulder.

It was Hatsume's, he almost had a heart attack then and there.

"So, who's Iida?" she asked unaware of the storm in Hakuba's mind.

Hakuba took a deep breath, he would panic once he helped Hatsume as promised earlier.

"Here, let me introduce you." Machibuse led her to the class president, not even thinking about the implications of introducing a mind as wild as her's to someone helpful like Iida.

Was he allowed to pass out in the bathroom again?

-.

 **March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, 1340.**

Everyone in Class 1-A besides Midoriya and, for some reason, Todoroki had already made their way into their closed-off section of the bleachers. Midoriya would face off against Shinso for the first fight of the tournament. There were some visibly concerned faces amongst them since Ojiro explained what Shinso's Quirk did to him.

Earlier Machibuse ran into both Midoriya and Ojiro speaking about how to counter that power when he entered the prep room to get his shoes. Ojiro had figured most of it by now, but there was a key detail that he missed out. That being how low Shinso was willing to go in order to activate his Quirk. Ojiro wasn't exactly happy about how Machibuse decided to withhold information about Shinso but understood his behavior once Machibuse explained that he would feel betrayed if the scenario was reversed and Shinso was the one to leak details about how his Chelicerae worked.

If anything, Hakuba informed Midoriya that Shinso was completely reliant on his Quirk, so if it came down to actual combat Midoriya had nothing to worry about.

Now it was a matter of whether or not it would come down to combat.

The pyres on the corners of the arena lit up. Apparently the arena Cementoss had build was much more complex that just a slab of rock.

" _ARE YOU READY!? YOU HAVE BEEN THROUGH HELL TODAY AND NOW YOU CAN'T RELY ON NO ONE BUT YOURSELVES!"_ Present Mic's voice once more boomed from the speakers.

"And a good chunk of this hellish day had a lot to do with you not being able to shut up for more than a minute. God fucking dammit." Machibuse answered to Mic's question loudly rather than just thinking about it.

Everyone in Class 1-A was caught off-guard by Hakuba's comment, all turning to him with surprised looks.

"I apologize for breaching protocol." He bowed sharply in response.

"You really are losing it, aren't you?" Kaminari, who was sitting by his right, asked as he stiffed a laugh.

"Affirmative." Machibuse answered with a visible sigh.

A familiar hand landed on his shoulder, Momo was sitting behind him. Hakuba nuzzled his cheek on top of her hand and took a couple of deep breaths.

All of Class 1-A was aware now that Machibuse and Yaoyorozu had _something_ because of Ashido's comment about a date while she tried to interact with a panicked Machibuse back in the prep room earlier today. Yaoyorozu tried to defuse the situation by explaining how the proposal came to happen, but this little moment they shared right now raised eyebrows once more.

Momo avoided to look towards her classmates, her cheeks slightly flustered. Hakuba just didn't care to notice, he had his eyes closed as he tried to tune everything out.

" _THE FIRST MATCH! MAKING WEIRD FACES DESPITE HIS EXCELLENT PERFORMANCE, IT'S MIDORIYA IZUKU FROM THE HERO COURSE! VERSUS… I got nothing on this guy… IT'S SHINSO HITOSHI FROM THE GENERAL STUDIES!"_ Present Mic introduced the combatants, causing Hakuba to slowly lift his head to watch the start of the match.

" _THE RULES ARE SIMPLE! YOU WIN BY EITHER KNOCK OUT, RING OUT, IMMOBILIZATION OR GETTING YOUR OPPONENT TO SURRENDER! BRING THE PAIN BECAUSE RECOVERY GIRL IS ON STAND BY AND WE DON'T WANNA LEAVE HER HANGING! AND FIGHT DIRTY IF YOU MUST! "ETHICS" HAVE NO MEANING HERE!"_ the announcer explained the rules, the last bit causing everyone in Class 1-A to stare at Machibuse. Even Yaoyorozu and Shoji betrayed him now.

"Oh fuck you guys, I'm too tense for this shit right now…"

" _STAAAAAART!"_ Present Mic shouted, for once helping as now people turned away from Hakuba's little tantrum.

They all watched as Midoriya dashed forward but were too far to understand what he just shouted.

"Already huh…" Machibuse mused.

"Dammit Midoriya! I warned you!" Ojiro panicked

" _MERE SECONDS AFTER THE BATTLE STARTED MIDORIYA HAS FROZEN IN PLACE! SHOW SOME SPIRIT! HE IS NOT EVEN TWITCHING! IS THAT SHINSO'S QUIRK? WE BARELY KNEW THAT SHINSO EXISTED UP UNTIL NOW, BUT HE JUST TURNED TO BE ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON!"_ Present Mic unfortunately continued speaking.

" _I have the summarized specs on those two here… Shinso failed the practical part of the Entrance Exam, so he lost his spot in the Hero Course. His Quirk is extraordinarily powerful but given the format of the exam his ability didn't help him out."_ Aisawa explained the situation, now Hakuba had the answer for the question his Major left unanswered during the Cavalry Battle.

Midoriya now slowly turned around and began walking towards outside the ring.

For the first time since the event began the stadium was in silence.

Midoriya was now just a few steps away from defeat.

The edge was near…

*FWOOSH*

Dust flew around Midoriya for a moment, the wind causing Shinso to stagger.

" _MIDORIYA STOPPED!"_ Present Mic cried in disbelief.

Deku had broken his own fingers to snap out of the mind control and now stood just a step away from the edge of the ring.

" _A fucking wildcard as always…"_ Machibuse now sat at the edge of his seat.

Midoriya quickly rushed back towards Shinso, who was now visibly panicking.

It now had turned into a scuffle with Midoriya pushing his enemy back, Shinso clearly aimed to hit Midoriya's broken fingers causing him to flinch long enough for Shinso to turn the situation around for a moment, but in a quick move Midoriya threw Shinso over his shoulder and over the line.

"SHINSO IS OUT OF BOUNDS! MIDORIYA MOVES TO THE SECOND ROUND!" Midnight's voice echoed through the speakers as the crowd cheered on.

Hakuba slowly got up from his seat.

"Going out already? Your fight will take a while still." Momo asked him as he made his way to the stairs.

"I should be back soon ma'am. Just need to finish some business. Can you message me Aisawa-sensei's number?" Machibuse asked as he left, stopping just before the doorway.

Yaoyorozu found the request weird but nodded and picked up her phone.

"Might stop by a vending machine. Any of you want something?" Hakuba asked his classmates.

"Do you think there is advice on facing Todoroki for a decent price in those?" Sero asked back with a mix of panic and irony as he got up to face his destiny.

That got a smile out of Machibuse.

-.

 **March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, 1350.**

"This Todoroki guy is sure something…" Shinso observed as both he and Machibuse stood by the entrance to the area where the General Course Students were seated.

"You have no idea." Machibuse agreed.

By the time Hakuba found where Shinso was Sero's fight against Todoroki had already begun and ended. All that remained for was the massive iceberg that covered a good chunk of the stadium and now was being broken away and disposed of by both the tournament staff and a few robots.

"Either way. You went through all this trouble to find me down here. What do you want?" Shinso asked as he turned to face Machibuse.

"Your number Major." Machibuse answered as he pulled his cellphone.

"Your girlfriend won't get jealous?" Shinso teased, earning an unamused stare from his former teammate.

"There there… sure, but why bother with keeping contact with some lowlife from the General Studies?" Shinso now asked out of curiosity.

"You got me into the finals Major. So this might be about the best thing I can do to repay the favor, just type your number in the blank area. Can't promise it will work however." Machibuse responded as he showed the screen of his phone to Shinso and handed the device to him.

Shinso froze.

It was a message ready to be sent.

 _Aisawa-sensei, this is Machibuse speaking._

 _You might already have procured Shinso's number on the school files, but I'm unsure if you can do it from the booth you are in, so this might prove useful._

Shinso Hitoshi:_ _ _ _ _ _

 _It was the rational thing to do, over._

-.

 **March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, 1410.**

Even with Kaminari's match being about as short as Sero's, the event staff decided to adjust the tournament's estimate closing time, increasing it by around sixty minutes. The 1430 was more of a guideline than anything from what Hakuba learned.

Two things caused the large shift in the scheduled time, one was the cleanup effort after Todoroki's iceberg, and the other…

" _NOW MY DEAR INVESTORS, AS YOU CAN SEE THIS BABY OF MINE CAN ALSO…"_ Hatsume Mei and the megaphone she had built-in her backpack turned the tournament into a ten-minute sales pitch for her support items.

"So, is she always like this?" Kirishima asked.

"You get used to it. She is very dependable, so it pays off." Machibuse defended his business partner the best way he could.

Poor Iida was stuck in a game of cat and mouse. Hatsume had tricked him with some "fair play" scheme to get him to don some kind of harness that made sure that Iida never reached her and never left the battlefield. Machibuse had unknowingly thrown Iida under the bus by introducing Hatsume to him.

"First Shinso and now her… none of your friends from outside our class ever heard of good sportsmanship?" Shoji asked as he made his way back from the bathroom, he was quick to understand what was about to happen and took the opportunity to do what he needed to do.

"Affirmative. They are the only two people in U.A. I know from outside our class." Machibuse informed.

"As if people's sportsmanship and morale were deciding factors to earn his friendship…" Jiro jabbed at Hakuba's dodgy tactics.

Machibuse turned to both his friends without saying a word, his stoic façade holding still.

A pair of hands braced on his shoulders, Yaoyorozu was getting up to leave, her match with Tokoyami was getting close.

"Bullying you is our secret to keep you from panicking." she said with a small smile as she gave his shoulders a gentle squeeze.

This was the first time Machibuse laughed since the festival began.

-.

 **March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, 1425.**

Momo had lost.

Hakuba pretty much watched the whole match from the entrance down to the ring, his fight was the next ofter Momo's.

She was now making her way meekly towards his position, eyes down to the ground. Momo probably wouldn't even had noticed her friend in the corridor if he hadn't called her.

"Pathetic wasn't I?" Momo asked rhetorically, she had stopped just after passing by Hakuba and didn't turned to face him.

"One of your worst possible match-ups in a direct confrontation." Hakuba informed. He knew that Momo was aware of this information, but perhaps having someone to confirm that to her would lessen her burden.

"Bad at this as always, aren't you?" Momo joked, her voice was deeply saddened however as she resumed walking.

She barely gave two steps as Hakuba warped his arms around her waist from behind, pulling her closer gently as he rested his head on her shoulder. At first she stiffened in surprise… hell, she damn near turned to kick him between the legs!

But, no…

It felt just… right… she needed that right now, more than she could ever imagine. She leaned her head on his, shifting slightly in his embrace as she reached her hand to his face.

Good thing no one could see them in the darkened corridor.

But then again… was it all that bad?

" _BATTLE NUMBER SEVEN IS ABOUT TO BEGIN! COMBATANTS! TO THE ARENA!"_ Present Mic's voice now earned the dislike of both students.

Momo gently broke away from Hakuba. She was still feeling sad over her performance, but if anything this little moment kept her going.

"Thank you…" she whispered, ushering Hakuba onwards.

He just nodded nervously as he marched towards the exit behind him. Momo had no way to know that Hakuba was only thinking about conceding the match up until now.

" _FROM THE HERO COUSE! HE IS FAST ON HIS FEET, QUICK ON HIS WITS AND CHEAP ON HIS TACTICS! ITS MACHIBUSE HAKUBA FROM 1-A!... ALSO FROM THE HERO COUSE HIS OPPONENT! MANLY AND PASSIONATE! ITS KIRISHIMA EIJIRO FROM 1-A!"_ the announcer introduced both combatants.

Both students took their positions in the arena.

"What? No banter? Man, you are really out of your game." Kirishima spoke as he cracked his hardened fists.

By now Hakuba was supposed to have conceded the match, but his mind was not there. He climbed to the ring still looking back towards the tunnel were Momo and him just…

"Are you ready?" Midnight asked as she prepared to begin the match. Machibuse only nodded, absently minded.

" _Why did I…?"_ Hakuba thought back, his confused mind blocking out his perception of the spectators and of the match in general.

" _STAAART!"_ Present Mic shouted as Midnight quickly lowered the whip she used as a flag.

"BRING IT ON!" Kirishima roared as he charged forward, right arm poised to strike as he approached Machibuse, who still had not assumed a proper fighting stance.

Machibuse could see the incoming assault from the corner of his eye, luckily Kirishima was as straightforward as they come and just sidestepping by instinct was easy enough.

Kirishima's hardened forearm came flying just inches above Machibuse's head, a quick weave to the attacker's right leading the still aloof teenager out of harm's way.

Kirishima pressed the attack, savage blows raining left right and centre but all failed to connect as Machibuse's confusing movement pattern of dodges, dives and sudden stops caused him to move in circles around an increasingly frustrated Kirishima.

One sharp uppercut caused Machibuse to jump, using Kirishima's own attack as leverage to somersault away from danger.

Machibuse barely even landed when his opponent closed the distance again with a high frontal kick, but true to his instincts Machibuse's footing gave away as he kneeled and threw his torso back, causing him to go to under the attack before springing away once more as her jolted himself forward.

Machibuse's approach to combat was infuriating even without his usual trickery.

"FIGHT BACK DAMMIT! Kirishima shouted angrily as Machibuse unconsciously guided his fist to the side. The redhead's demands falling on deaf years.

" _1-A'S MACHIBUSE IS TURNING THIS BRAWL INTO A GAME OF HIGH-RISK TAG!"_ Present Mic spoke over the battle as the crowd followed Hakuba's movements with great interest.

" _Machibuse likely can't attack because of Kirishima's Hardening, so he is directing his efforts into forcing the fight down to a battle of endurance. He will only move to the offensive when Kirishima makes a mistake. The dismissive attitude and lack of response are proving to be an efficient strategy to get under Kirishima's skin."_ Aisawa added to the commentary, unaware that Machibuse's psychological warfare was completely accidental.

"HOW ABOUT THIS!?" Kirishima threatened as he swung his arm in a wide arc, putting more momentum than usual behind it.

" _I mean, sure, I know I like her, how can't I? She is smart, she is nice, she is pretty … Who the fuck am I kidding… she is a damn genius, she is absolutely delightful to be around and she if fucking gorgeous on top of all that!_ _Am I even worth someone like her!? Will I ever be!?_ _"_ Hakuba's internal monologue was interrupted as a fist approached his jaw.

With a quick jerking motion that was just about muscle memory at this point Hakuba dropped below Kirishima's attack and prepared to roll aside to spring back to his feet. Fighting only with his muscle memory Hakuba failed to account how the normally straightforward Kirishima used the extra momentum to jut a rock-hark knee into his chest.

" _A SOLID HIT!"_ Present Mic shouted in excitement as Machibuse was launched backwards, the air knocked out of his lungs.

Machibuse knew that Kirishima hit like a truck, but damn that hurt. The bone wasn't broken, but by the sensation it was sure cracked at least. He had been sent flying a good five feet and only stopped rolling towards a ring out because the chelicerae on his back anchored him to the floor, causing him to stall abruptly.

"Give me a fucking break… I am trying to sort my feelings out here…" Hakuba spoke, his voice weak as he gasped for air still stretched on the floor.

"Machibuse, can you keep on fighting?" Midnight asked as Machibuse took more than a few seconds to get up.

Hakuba reached for his feet as he assumed a seated position, he was so focused on what had happened before the match that he had forgotten to take his shoes off. He then tumbled back to his feet and threw the footwear outside the ring.

Midnight didn't receive a verbal response but understood that he meant to keep on fighting, allowing Kirishima to continue with his assault.

This time however Machibuse rushed to fight as well.

In his mind there was no crowd, no referee, no announcer… just one enemy that would not allow him to mind his own business while he was still standing.

What a pain.

Kirishima was aware that if Machibuse was running straight towards a confrontation then that meant he intended to dodge at the last second, so he keep his guard up to intercept.

Machibuse didn't dodge. At least not in the usual fashion.

Kirishima felt the pressure of the chelicerae on Machibuse's soles on his tight, then on his chest as he flinched back some. Machibuse literally scaled him instead of dodging to the side.

" _MACHIBUSE TOOK IT TO THE AIR!"_ Present Mic shouted in disbelief as Hakuba's descended with his back facing the ground, Kirishima still recovering from the unexpected shove right below him.

In one swift move Hakuba then trapped Kirishima's head between his knees and jerked his whole body backwards, the chelicerae on the back of his knees raking against Kirishima's hardened shoulders.

Kirishima felt his feet lifting from the ground.

With added help from the hooks in his palms digging into the floor, Machibuse's momentum flipped Kirishima over. His hard head burring on the concrete floor of the arena as Hakuba quickly pulled his legs inwards.

Kirishima's skin was hard enough to crack the concrete floor whenever he stepped in with more force to throw a punch or whenever her dashed. No wonder his entire bodyweight being forced on a single point like that made for an excellent wedge.

" _MACHIBUSE PULLED A FREAKING FRANKENSTEINER ON KIRISHIMA! THE HELL YOU ARE TEACHING TO YOUR CLASS ERASER!?"_ Present Mic had completely lost it, and so did the crowd.

" _I don't remember teaching last century wrestling in any of my classes, so don't push this on me."_ Aisawa retorted, clearly not sharing on the amusement of his co-host.

Machibuse rolled back to his feet as he watched Kirishima trying to pull his head from the concrete, the sounds of the stadium in awe causing his blood pressure to tank now that he was thinking normally. While the redhead surely had the physical strength to do so normally, he was buried up until the shoulders and his back was almost perpendicular to the ground. He simply couldn't find a decent enough position to lift his bodyweight while trapped like that.

Kirishima flailed for a few seconds before giving up.

"KIRISHIMA IS IMMOBILIZED! MACHIBUSE MOVES TO THE NEXT ROUND!" Midnight announced to the cheering crowd as Cementoss used his Quirk to free Kirishima's head from the hole in the floor.

"Damn man, that was rough!" Kirishima admitted as Machibuse offered him a shaky hand to get up.

"Would for sure have killed someone other than you. Now help me out here, my chest if hurting like hell and I am about to pass out with all these people looking at me."

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Poor Hakuba already broke once and luckily held on for this fight. It's anyone's guess what will happen the next time he steps in front of the audience… and in front of Bakugo.**_

 _ **Little odd bit about the Chelicerae: It's not like they don't grow back if broken, in fact Hakuba has broken them off multiple times over the years, it just hurts like hell to break one. Which is why Hakuba only used them for grip instead of properly striking Kirishima with them.**_

 _ **Till next time**_


	14. Push

**March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, 1445.**

The walk back from Recovery Girl's was as straining as expected. For the third time since his admission in U.A. Machibuse had been blessed by her very existence and had paid for her services with his will to keep on living with the subsequent exhaustion. How the hell did Midoriya managed to deal with the aftereffects of her Healing on a daily basis?

Too bad that Hatsume was out of the tournament, Hakuba could have used a longer break between his matches. Maybe Todoroki would be so kind as to get the arena unusable again…

"Hey, look who is back from the dead!" Jiro called out as Machibuse came through the door.

"Two cracked ribs and some mild nicking on my sternum hardly classifies me as dead Lieutenant." Machibuse responded as he made way towards his seat in front of Yaoyorozu.

"Try not pissing yourself to death before I can kill you, Pinprick." Bakugo shot him a threatening glare as his next opponent walked past him.

While Machibuse's face remained unfazed as he barely turned to meet Baguko's stare, he couldn't deny that he had found the nickname amusing to say the least. He had missed Bakugo's match but met with Uraraka in the infirmary room, and from what she told him about the battle Hakuba summarized that she gave him much more trouble than everyone expected.

"Well you sure look the spitting image of joy and excitement." Kaminari added as he adjusted himself on his seat, so his classmate could walk unobstructed.

"You mean right now or during this whole day Kaminari-san?" Hakuba retorted as he slumped onto his seat.

"Touché." the blonde answered.

"Yeah uh… sorry about that…" Kirishima offered sheepishly.

"Hakuba-chan was the one he was the one the failed to pay attention to his own fight and dodge the attack -gero" Tsuyu pointed out, apparently people noticed that his fighting was a little off the mark.

"Asui-san is right. Don't apologize, it was a good attack." Machibuse agreed.

"Call me Tsu." She corrected

"This goes against my protocol ma'am." Machibuse turned to her.

"You know that I don't really care -gero" Tsuyu, blunt as expected, responded back bringing a finger to her mouth.

Hakuba just stared at her for a moment before taking a deep breath, he was too tired for that.

"Still, Kirishima-san, you should try feinting like that more often. Feel free to ask for me if you need any help with that." Machibuse returned to the topic of his last match.

"Don't start tainting Kirishima's ways with your trickery." Momo spoke as she knocked on the back of Hakuba's head with the back of her hand, prompting him to turn to meet her stare.

"Save that shit for the marriage counseling and let me watch the damn fight!" Bakugo spat from his seat on the other side of the 1-A area interrupting their bickering.

"He is not…!" Momo started.

"She is not…!" Hakuba also began.

Both Hakuba and Momo quickly turned to each other, awkwardness visible in their faces as they turned back to Bakugo in unison "We are not…!"

"SHUT UP!" Bakugo roared with an expression that would require any normal person years of theatrics to pull off.

The pyres lit up once more.

" _BOTH THESE COMPETITORS HAVE WON TOP MARKS IN THE FESTIVAL SO FAR, BUT THERE IS ROOM FOR ONLY ONE OF THEM IN THE NEXT PHASE OF THE TOURNAMENT! ITS MIDORIYA VERSUS TODOROKI! STAAAAART!"_ Present Mic shouted, causing everyone in the 1-A area to turn their attention towards the battlefield immediately.

The avalanche immediately closed in on Midoriya. Todoroki was a monster of an opponent.

But Midoriya had risen to be a monster of a challenger, the ice blasted away in a single strike.

" _MIDORIYA SMASHED THROUGH!"_ the announcer shouted once more. By this point Machibuse just assumed that his English teacher was incapable of not doing as part of his respiratory cycle.

By now Machibuse had flashes of the conversation on the way towards the USJ about flashy Quirks as the scene repeated, another massive wave of ice surging forward from Todoroki only to be shattered immediately by the pressure created by Midoriya.

Both Machibuse and Bakugo were studying every single detail of the battle, from the damage Midoriya received from his own attacks to the angle and speed of Todoroki's ice.

"Man Bakugo, you and that Todoroki just fire crazy-strong attacks like this the whole day…" Kirishima mused.

"The whole day? Are you an idiot? If you ran too much you end out of breath, and if you use strain your muscles too much they tear... Quirks are a physical ability too, so the guy gotta have some limit." Bakugo explained, looking down to the palms of his hands with some concern beneath his usual expression.

That small detail did not went unnoticed by Machibuse. He was a mutant-type, so there wasn't much he could relate to what an emitter-type would call backlash. Sure, he could overuse his chemical production and that would cause him to dehydrate, but that was a very extreme scenario akin to Iida going over his maximum speed or Mineta pulling on his hair too much. Producing the chemicals was as natural as salivating for him and his Chelicerae were always there as a party of his body, there was no thinking involved beyond the choice of what he would synthesize. Certain emitters like Midoriya, Uraraka and Aoyama had very visible backlashes related to their Quirks while others like Yaoyorozu and, he assumed, Tokoyami had to deal with fueling their abilities.

Both Bakugo and Todoroki had yet to display any of those behaviors, and Machibuse had his eyes open to see what he could exploit against who he viewed as the top two fighters in 1-A. It would be a much easier battle if he knew beforehand what kind of bodily process he needed to scramble in order to prevent them from attacking properly; a generic drug to knock out someone would take about a minute to kick in and about one more to fully subdue someone like Bakugo, but something synthesized to target one specific part of his biology would be in full effect in just a few seconds. A silver bullet of sorts.

If anything his meal had provided a very powerful cocktail of Zinc and Potassium, while those would not be enough to keep someone healthy down for long and both were simple compounds to absorb and break down, the intense nausea they caused when delivered would make anyone an easy target.

Machibuse's train of thought was interrupted as Todoroki started to close the distance, using his ice to gain the height advantage.

Midoriya jumped back, narrowly avoiding the follow up attack.

He swung his fist. Hard.

For a moment that was only the sound of the massive blast of wind that Midoriya caused echoing on the stadium.

Todoroki managed to brace himself on his ice to avoid a ring out, now Midoriya had four broken fingers in one hand and one completely shattered arm to keep fighting.

" _Someone in his right mind would be throwing the towel by now. Then again its fucking Midoriya on that arena…"_ Machibuse pondered as he watched Todoroki walking towards the crippled teen.

While not exactly close to one another, Hakuba held Midoriya in very high regards. There was a clear reason why All Might had apparently taken interest in him, Midoriya was a hero to the very core, so much it was self-harming. Hakuba knew that his own aspirations as a hero would never come even close to what Midoriya stood for, but it was a good enough frame of comparison.

Todoroki rose his right hand slowly. A little too slowly… Todoroki wasn't one to care for dramatic effect. Something was off.

"Ma'am." Machibuse called for Yaoyorozu without taking his eyes from the battle.

"Huh?" she responded, caught a little off-guard.

"Can you provide me with some binoculars?" Machibuse's voice was serious, this caught Bakugo's attention.

It was very uncommon for Hakuba to ask her to create something with her Quirk, but this only compounded on the importance of his request. Momo gave a firm nod as she quickly created the object from her forearm, making it as simple as possible as to speed up the process.

Machibuse was on the edge of his seat as he received the binoculars and had less than a couple of seconds to observe the match through them before Midoriya launched another attack using one of his broken fingers.

" _A fucking madman as always…"_ Machibuse mused as he focused on Midoriya for a moment as the dust settled down. He was speaking, angrily so… some lipreading gave away the issue.

Machibuse quickly turned to focus on Todoroki, who was just getting back on his feet. He was shivering in cold, thin ice forming over his right side.

"The damn imbecile…" Machibuse spat as he got two and two together. If Todoroki was offspring of a Quirk marriage then his ice was a likely selected as a countermeasure to becoming feverish due to overusing the fire Quirk he inherited from Endeavor. If so then the inverse was true, he could use his fire side to thaw the backlash from using the ice Quirk he inherited from his mother. And Todoroki refused to do so despite the risk to his health and the absurdity of crippling himself in a tournament where everyone pushed their limits over and over, just to get on his father's nerves.

"What happened?" Yaoyorozu asked, normally Machibuse would've explained why the need of her help by now.

"Todoroki revealed his weakness, and he is stupid enough to…" Machibuse started, now he definitely had Bakugo's attention.

But before he could explain Midoriya dashed to the offensive, dodging a visibly weaker wave of ice before smashing one of his destroyed fists into Todoroki's midsection.

Over and over Midoriya now attacked, shouting the whole time but his words losing themselves into the distance and sounds in the stadium.

One thing however called his attention as he watched Midoriya turning the tables, one quick adjustment to the focus of his binoculars showed Cementoss speaking on the com, apparently Midnight and he were talking.

Suddenly Todoroki's left side busted into flames. His face now hidden behind the flares made impossible for Machibuse to read the situation properly

" _WHAT IS THIS!?"_ Present Mic was taken aback by the turn of events.

Soon enough another voice roared in the crowd, Endeavor was going absolutely ballistic as he approached the edge of the stands. Whatever he shouted falling to deaf ears as Machibuse could see his smile dropping through the binoculars.

One quick movement back to the arena showed Midoriya… smiling?

Both Midoriya and Todoroki prepared to attack.

Machibuse widened his eyes as he quickly dropped the binoculars.

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Machibuse shouted as he, following instincts that he normally lacked, poised himself in between the incoming blast and Yaoyorozu.

"… _the fuck am I doing?"_ The thought quickly crossed his mind as he realized what he just did.

From the corner of his eye Hakuba saw the cement arena springing up into many barriers to reduce the damage.

Good thing.

Because there was still a lot of damage incoming.

Took a few seconds after the shockwave for everyone to recover and for the smoke to settle.

Mic was completely silent for a moment as the arena was finally coming back into view.

" _HAS THE MATCH BEEN DECIDED!?"_

Only one silhouette remained standing in the still clearing arena.

 _*Thud*_

Eyes quickly dashed to the outer area.

Midoriya had fallen.

-.

 **March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, 1500.**

Once more the event's estimated time of ending was postponed, this time to 1600. Someone in the marketing department was sure getting scolded tonight for missing the mark so hard.

Iida was currently taking to the arena to fight 1-B's Shiozaki, but it was surely going to be a quick battle. It was up to Iida to finish the battle before Shiozaki managed to trap him.

Machibuse was hardly caring for the match however. He was too pissed off to do that, hard eyes directed at the arena, sitting on the edge of his seat, hunched as his elbows rested on his knees. The Chelicerae on his back armed for a moment but now had retracted.

Kaminari decided to take Iida's vacant seat for the moment, and Yaoyorozu had decided that it would be best for her to take his.

Yaoyorozu had already seen her friend snapping once today and dreaded to see that image again. But this felt different… it was not the mindless rage from before. Whatever he saw during Todoroki's battle had clearly touched a raw nerve.

"Should I take this as a cancelation of our date?" Momo questioned as she studied his face, she kept her voice low as to not draw more attention to tomorrow's events.

Hakuba's expression softened a little. A mix of annoyance and amusement on his face as he looked at her.

"I will take that as no…" Momo sighed, relieved to see that he was still himself.

" _SHIOZAKI IS OUT OF BOUNDS! THIS TOURNAMENT IS CLASS 1-A'S NOW!"_ Present Mic as usual interrupted the conversation.

"Care to explain what got you like that?" she changed the question once the noise from the crowd died down.

"Promise me you will not get angry ma'am?" Hakuba asked as he took a deep breath and got up to his feet.

"Will I regret this?" Momo quirked an eyebrow as she watched him stretching, his fight with Bakugo was getting close.

"Unlikely." Hakuba assured her, now cracking his knuckles.

"Go on then…." Momo sighed.

Machibuse gave a nod and began walking away from her. "I will give you more details later ma'am, but for the moment this should do…"

Momo got up but didn't follow, she really wasn't expecting Hakuba to just walk away…

"Todoroki-san!" Machibuse called as he made his way towards the silent teen. Todoroki had been aloof since he came back from his match.

Todoroki didn't answer verbally, but slowly got up from his seat to face Machibuse.

 _*BAM*_

Machibuse sucker punched Todoroki. A right hook across the jaw with enough strength to send the teen down to his seat once more and to leave Class 1-A absolutely shocked.

"I heard the conversation you had with Midoriya-san earlier today. Refused to hear everything but I got the big picture… I don't know what you both discussed during your battle, but he got you to see through this stupidity of yours somehow, so you better not waste his efforts." Machibuse spoke glaring daggers towards the stunned Todoroki as he flexed his right hand, walking towards the doorway once he was finished.

"I am well aware of how hard it can be to deal with the ghosts of the past... to look into the mirror every morning and having the memories shoved in your face. But you are a lot stronger than I am, so if I can face my problems for once, so can you."

-.

 **March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, 1510.**

" _THIS IS IT MY DEAR AUDIENCE, THE LAST MATCH OF THE SECOND PHASE OF THE TOURNAMENT! IT WILL BE JUST THE TOP FOUR AFTER THIS ONE! ITS MACHIBUSE HAKUBA VERSUS BAKUGO KATSUKI!"_ Present Mic announced as both the combatants assumed their positions in the arena. This time Machibuse remembered to take his shoes off.

Machibuse took a deep breath, his hands were visibly shaking. Luckily his mind was too busy during his match against Kirishima to pay attention to the match itself, let alone the spectators. But now he couldn't give himself the luxury of tuning everything out even if he knew how to do so, Bakugo was not going to play nice and just allow him to dodge on instinct.

"I've wanted to have a go at you for a while… You got ahead of me on that Quirk Apprehension bullshit, got to appear on the news after the USJ attack, got me beaten on the Obstacle Course today as far a I care… AND I STILL WANT TO MURDER THE SHIT OUT OF YOU BECAUSE OF THAT DODGEBALL GAME!" Bakugo now shouted as smoke escaped from his palms.

His threat however fell to deaf ears, Machibuse was barely functioning at this point as he instinctively grasped his left shoulder, just a few seconds standing there in the arena was already enough to toll his state of mind already…

"Not gonna run away after that little motivational speech of yours, will you Pinprick?" Bakugo questioned as he noticed the frightened state of his opponent.

This brought Hakuba back.

His voice was… different. The usual anger and defiance in his voice were still there, but it didn't felt like the same Bakugo. It was the same tone Bakugo used during that joke of an Athlete's Oath earlier that day.

"Are you ready?" Midnight called both them. There was a limit to how much time she could leave the combatants bantering, her whip now held high.

"I sure am, can't say the same about the joke of a competitor right there." Bakugo spat as he waited for Machibuse to take control of himself.

"I am not ready sensei. Might never be." Machibuse admitted as he lowered his head.

By now Midnight already understood that her student had been troubled since the games began, his meteoric decent in the rankings during the final moments of the first event and his final words to Kirishima during their battle were proof that something was wrong with him.

"There is no shame in withdrawing." She offered to reassure him.

Suddenly Machibuse pulled something from his pocket…

One surgery mask with a very poorly drawn smile similar to the one of his hero costume, a single sideways D, that he now donned over his mouth before assuming his combat stance, the weapons in his body poised to strike.

Still, he trembled.

"I can't withdraw ma'am. Bakugo is right. Even if the whole world has their eyes on my back right now… even if I can't save someone by my own hands, a hero's smile may inspire the others to do their best to save themselves." Machibuse declared.

The referee allowed herself an honest smile, if anything she hoped that her microphone had picked up what Machibuse just said so his words could make it to more people than just herself and Bakugo.

Didn't take long for Recovery Girl to inform her via radio that she had been the one to provide the mask, Machibuse had stopped by her office on his way to the arena.

"Bakugo, any objections to your opponent fighting with a mask?" Midnight asked to keep procedures going.

"Hell no." Bakugo said as he assumed his own stance, his maniac grin came back.

"Very well." Midnight signaled the start of the match.

" _STAAAART!"_ Present Mic shouted as he took the cue.

There was no delay, Bakugo blasted himself forwards the moment the battle began.

Both were very technical fighters with very sharpened battle instincts, both had had observed each other in battle more than once in great detail, and both had already faced off against each other, albeit it was a match of dodgeball.

Bakugo had his right arm cocked to strike.

Machibuse was well aware that he usually opened with a right hook.

Bakugo knew that his opponent would read his move.

It was a split-second decision, was Bakugo going for signature opener or it was a feint?

Twitchy from tension, Machibuse's muscles followed his gut feeling. He weaved to Bakugo's right, making it just in time to clear under the hook.

Bakugo had swung his arm downwards instead of the usual sideways strike.

The explosion on his back propelled Machibuse forward, one quick dive got him out of peril.

Bakugo quickly followed.

Pulling from the same idea he used during the opening race Machibuse planted one hand to the floor and kicked towards Bakugo with the chelicera on his right sole.

Bakugo blasted past Machibuse's foot, twisting his torso painfully to avoid the hit and keep the offensive.

Bakugo's arm came crashing top down, giving the still tense Machibuse only enough time to push himself out of the floor and brace for the incoming explosion. His instincts were still not up to speed with his resolve.

" _BAKUGO LANDS THE FIRST ATTACK!"_ Present Mic shouted as the shockwave rumbled echoed through the stadium.

"I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT YOU GOT YOUR SHIT TOGETHER PINPRICK!" Bakugo shouted as he landed in a crouching position.

The blast pushed both fighters away from each other. Bakugo obviously in much better shape.

The smiling mask was mostly intact, a little singed but still up to show. The rest of Machibuse's situation was not so good, the left side of his shirt blown away to shreds and his skin was visibly burnt and bruised.

Machibuse clenched the tattooed shoulder once more, but this time it had more to do with pain than phobia.

At least his fear of not getting hit like that again would push some of his nervousness aside for the moment.

Bakugo would not let him have time to banter and, if his suspicion was right, the blonde had learned one thing from observing his fight with Yaoyorozu a week ago. Machibuse relied heavily on using the terrain to fight, and since they had no walls in their fighting space he had to rely solely on the floor. That was why Bakugo was attacking from top down.

Bakugo was closing in once more and Machibuse needed to adapt. He definitely was one enemy Machibuse didn't want to face in these conditions again… unless he managed to forge his silver bullet.

Then something got his attention as he redirected one of Bakugo's palms up with his forearm…

That smell… nitroglycerin?

Machibuse wasn't that much of an expert in explosives but remembered one thing of the few demonstrations of nitroglycerin-based explosives he had witnessed back in Okinawa: The thing had a characteristic smell of burnt sugar.

And for some reason Bakugo had the same smell. The explosions didn't just come from thin air, Bakugo created and detonated nitroglycerin in his hands.

But how?

Another wide swing came from Machibuse's left. This time he stepped in, regardless of the method behind the explosions the delivery was always the same: Bakugo's palms.

Bakugo would have to adapt if Machibuse decided to fight at a clinch range. If his predictions were right, Bakugo would either jump back or counterattack to the sudden decrease in fighting space, the former was far more likely considering that neither of his hands were in proper position to deal with the situation. Machibuse would press on.

" _MACHIBUSE TURNED TO THE OFFENSIVE!"_ Present Mic shouted as the momentum turned. Bakugo visibly clenched his teeth as he jumped back, narrowly avoiding Machibuse's hand from scraping against his chest.

" _Bingo."_ Machibuse allowed himself the praise as he closed in once more with his guard up, his eyes carefully following the movement of Bakugo's hands. His left would surely rise to block or to create another explosion to push both fighters apart again.

Blocking the chelicerae barehanded was game over and Bakugo knew that.

" _How far are you willing to push, Kacchan?"_ Machibuse pondered as he watched Bakugo's left palm being directed at him.

It was time…

 _*BOOM*_

" _BAKUGO BLASTS MACHIBUSE ONCE AGAIN!"_ the announcer now cried as both combatants were launched back.

"Payload delivered." Machibuse stated painfully as he quickly got up to his feet, the mask now torn apart now revealed his focused expression, blood and chemicals pooled around his position as they ran down his hand.

"MOTHERFUCKER!" Bakugo shouted as he ripped two broken chelicerae from his left palm.

" _MACHIBUSE SACRIFICED HIS RIGHT TO STRIKE BAKUGO! IS HE GOING FULL MIDORIYA RIGHT NOW!?"_ Mic was in disbelief as Machibuse ripped what remained of his shirt and wrapped the burnt article around his wounded hand.

"Seafood does wonders for my Quirk. Zinc poisoning gets pretty ugly pretty fast and I made sure to pile-in Potassium as well for the same effect... Am I going to bleed out or your insides are going to give in?" Machibuse taunted, his right arm visibly limp from the pain, the cloth around his wounded hand quickly turning crimson.

Bakugo glared him viciously as he dashed in, wincing and clutching his abdomen in pain. A puny thing such as street food would not deter the might Bakugo. From what he knew about Machibuse's Quirk there was a short time window between a drug's administration and the full effect.

Both now fought the clock, Machibuse weaved between Bakugo's heavily impaired strikes. The blasts however were getting considerably more powerful to Machibuse's surprise.

" _The smell is stronger now…why is he producing more nitroglycerin?"_ Machibuse questioned as he dodged under another blast. His own movements were getting sloppy from the blood loss.

The response literally dropped on his face as he moved under Bakugo's now heavy arms.

" _Son of a bitch sweats like a pig!"_ Machibuse contorted his face in disgust before turning to one of realization.

Zinc and Potassium both caused fever and sweating. Bakugo's blasts got more powerful since the attack.

Bakugo sweated fucking nitroglycerin.

Machibuse had found his silver bullet.

It would take him twenty seconds or so to add something to suppress Bakugo's thyroidal hormones to his current payload.

From now on he could simply turn off Bakugo's Quirk whenever they faced off again.

Unfortunately now he likely didn't have twenty seconds to spare with two of his chelicerae blown open. He was losing a lot of blood and his vision was starting to blur because of it.

Machibuse wobbled, standing up was a massive effort.

A quick look towards the 1-A area vaguely allowed him to see a blur rushing out the doorway… his friends were worried now… Momo was worried now… Machibuse proved his point already. He had faced his fear and hopefully convinced Todoroki to do the same… he would apologize for the punch later.

Midnight was quick to understand the severity of Machibuse's bleeding, she would need to stop this fight immediately. She reached to rip her clothing but…

Bakugo turned to strike again, only to find Machibuse standing still.

"Permission to break protocol?" Machibuse asked between shallow breaths as Bakugo stopped his attack.

"Shove that protocol up your ass…" the blonde spat back.

Machibuse chuckled.

"I will take that as a yes… Now listen up you damn imbecile, if that half and half idiot decides not to give his all you better beat the shit out of him… Beat the shit out of him either way, if I'm to lose to someone it better be to the champion." Machibuse spoke as he bumped the bloodied fist into Bakugo's chest, falling backwards after doing so.

"Next time we fight on my terms…" he added weakly.

Everything turned dark.

-.

 **March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, Nursery Room, Time Unknown.**

" _Not dead huh? Well, better luck next time…"_ Machibuse slowly came back to his senses. The bright lamp above his eyes proving to be more powerful than his will to keep his eyes open. A weak groan escaped his dry throat as he forced himself to sit.

A hand touched his shoulder, gesturing him to stay down.

"You have no idea how hard it is to operate on someone with absolute zero response to stantard medicine." Recovery Girl joked as she handed him a glass of water.

Machibuse drank it all greedily. Took him a while to speak still.

"I will try my best to avoid troubling you like that again ma'am. You have my thanks once more." he nodded apologetically, still refusing to lay down.

"Please do. It was a good thing that your friends predicted the issue and came to help. You lost something around a fifth of your blood, Todoroki-kun had to freeze your arm while I stemmed the bleeding on your hand." The nurse explained.

"Todoroki huh?" Machibuse mused, no wonder his arm felt stiff.

"He said that it was his way of saying "thank you"." Recovery girl added.

"What time is it ma'am?" he asked as he took in this last bit of information, now trying to get back to his feet.

"You slept for just about half an hour. If you are wondering about the tournament, the final match started just a few moments ago… Back to bed, you are still weak." Recovery Girl informed as she watched her patient getting a feeling of his footing.

"Can't do ma'am." Machibuse braced himself against the wall as he now stood back on his feet. He could now see himself in the mirror across the room. Bandages across most of his torso and right forearm. There was a plastic bag containing a new uniform for him on the table.

There was a brief silence as Machibuse dressed himself.

"Before your fight, you asked me for a mask and a marker. You did that for him didn't you?" Recovery Girl asked as she resigned on trying to keep Machibuse from leaving.

"I have been told that a hero should smile to inspire, and Todoroki-san needed the push." Machibuse explained as he opened the door.

"It is good to see that your friends can rely on you." Recovery Girl remarked with a smile.

"Yeah... Suppose he is my friend now ma'am."

-.

 **March 21th, Sports Festival Stadium, 1555.**

Machibuse had just rejoined his classmates for the closing ceremony, he had watched the final moments of the championship match between Todoroki and Bakugo from the traverse that bordered the stadium's bleachers. His bravado had left as he could feel himself getting tense whenever the spectators turned to talk with him every once in a while to congratulate him on his performance. Apparently the stunt he pulled on Kirishima and the smiling mask turned him into a mildly popular figure.

Ashido couldn't deny that she expected some loving embrace once the Machibuse and Yaoyorozu got reunited, Yaoyorozu rushed in panic to the infirmary with Todoroki in tow during the final moments of Machibuse's match versus Bakugo shouting that if he had passed out from bleeding then he would likely bleed to death since his Quirk would just nullify whatever Recovery Girl injected into his system to slow down the hemorrhage.

Yaoyorozu came back from the infirmary with quite a worried look on her face, apparently Machibuse had lost more than just a spoonful of blood. Took Ashido and Jiro some convincing to ease her worries.

"OWOWOW! I GET IT! I GET IT!" Hakuba protested as Momo squeezed his temples between her knuckles.

Ashido's expectations were met by Momo scolding Hakuba the moment they found each other. Not what she wanted to see but she couldn't deny that seeing those two losing their usual composure was pretty funny.

"So Captain, those grow back, right?" Jiro asked out after Yaoyorozu released her prisoner.

"Affirmative Lieutenant, normally it would take about a week for my body to regenerate a broken chelicera, but due to Recovery Girl's Quirk speeding up my healing I should be done in two or three days." Machibuse explained as he looked to his bandaged right hand, slowly recovering his façade while massaging his temples with his left hand.

"You always bleed like this when they break? We better know just in case." Shoji now asked, that was some very important information to keep in mind.

"Never this much, and normally I can just synthesize something to boost hemostasis. Was one of the first things I learned to do with my Quirk. Never had to deal with one of my chelicerae blowing up, it surprised me as much as it did you." Machibuse added to his explanation.

"Yeah, you kinda high-fived a landmine back there…" Ashido observed.

Something started moving under the floor.

"Now everyone! Let's move on to the awards ceremony!" Midnight informed as the fireworks went out above the stadium, a large podium rising behind her.

Tokoyami was the third place.

Todoroki the second, although he likely would have won if he fought with all his power. He tried to use his flames at least, Machibuse couldn't just ask him to put everything behind and just flip the switch, baby steps would do if he was willing to keep moving forward.

And the star of the show…

Bakugo was fucking chained to the first place, mouth and hands restrained as he trashed about. Apparently he didn't take kindly to Todoroki basically throwing the final match.

Bakugo was a very special snowflake to say the least.

"In third place we have both Tokoyami and Iida, but Iida was forced to leave early due to an emergency. We hope you all understand." Midnight explained to the crowd.

Midoriya visibly tensed at that.

Something Machibuse would need to ask about later.

For now he just wanted to enjoy the fact that this hellish day was over, things would be finally going back to normal…

Ashido's hand landed on his shoulder. She had _that_ smile on her face.

"Tomorrow is the big day eh?"

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Don't bleed to death kids.**_

 _ **Finally got over the Sports Festival so now we can go back to not having to deal with Hakuba having a mental breakdown every turn. Is he over his fears? Fuck no, the idiot is likely counting down the seconds to next year's event.**_

 _ **And yes, he is counting down for the next day as well…**_


	15. Fear and Desire

_**Fifteen chapters in, over 60k words and we are about to head into the Hero Killer arc. But before that I'd like to really express my thanks to all you guys keeping up with this history, this is something I started on a whim and was very unsure about at first, but you got me to keep on pushing.**_

 _ **Love y'all,**_

 _ **Imya.**_

-.

 **March 22th, Machibuse Residence, 0950.**

 _*ZAP*_

"SON OF A…!" Hakuba shouted as he quickly pulled his hand back from the offending wiring. Today he finally decided to properly hook up the heating on his shower and progress was slow.

Machibuse already went through a full month living in Tokyo without hot water and under normal circumstances he would keep it like that, the barracks he had lived in for the last four years used only cold water to "toughen up" the soldiers. Whether or not that actually worked he didn't know, but he got too used to it.

Sure there were times he would have preferred a warm shower, like after his first healing session from Recovery Girl or when he needed to wash away all that crap stuck to his skin after he had to vomit before the Sports Festival. The carrier fluid in his chemicals became more like a film after a while exposed to air and he actually needed to scrape and peel the thing off.

But today circumstances were far from normal, _the big day_ , as Ashido had called it, had arrived. He had a date. With Yaoyorozu Momo.

He turned the water on again, nothing exploded in the showerhead and this time there was no smell of burnt plastic.

Success.

Hakuba had a lot of thinking to do and maybe the steam would get his mind going. His worries about the Sports Festival caused him to push the worries about the date until today.

" _First of all, how serious is this date? I mean, for all intents and purposes she might just be getting back at me for using her to distract Ashido during the dodgeball match…"_ Hakuba pondered as the warm water washed down his face.

" _No, she is not Hatsume... Momo would not do this much just to a free meal at a posh restaurant. Did she, like, really wanted me to ask her out? Am I missing the hint here!?"_ this possibility somewhat shocked Hakuba, he knew that his people skills were not his best-selling point, but actually reading people was something he was very adept at.

He stepped out of the shower, his brow furrowed as he ran the possibilities through his mind. Hell, two days ago he fell asleep on her lap and he still didn't understood exactly what happened in that corridor less than twenty-four hour ago… Momo was sad, so he decided to hold her close for a moment since he knew very well that his insensible ass would not be able to come with words nice enough.

Hakuba had been confused as to why it felt so natural for him to do such a thing to her, the thoughts that actually kept him from conceding the fight against Kirishima. Man, he felt an idiot right now for daring to step in a battle with his mind focused so much on something else, were that fight a real villain scenario he would likely be dead. What troubled him now was Momo's response to that: she embraced him back. Hell, neither of them wanted to move from there and who knows what would've happened if Present Mic had not interrupted.

Then there was also that moment two days ago, she was about to say something when Shoji rang the doorbell.

Reviewing those situations now that he assumed the possibility that Momo had real feelings for him caused his shoulders to stiff. He had accepted that his own feelings for her were growing much beyond those of friendship.

Hakuba's eyes turned to the dark blot on his shoulder, his reflection heavily blurred by the clouded mirror. His teeth gritted as he forced himself to look away.

Momo meant too much to know the truth.

He needed to step away.

-.

 **March 22th, Sumida Riverbank, 1600.**

Regardless of his current mess of a love life, Machibuse had a routine to stick to. A day off didn't mean that he was allowed to slack around. The weather had turned a little unstable since last night and the thin rain actually made Machibuse's exercises much more pleasant, he felt much more comfortable with the climate like that and barely felt the first ten kilometers of his run alongside the riverbank. Tokyo was surely a beautiful city and the rain kept a good number of people from the streets, so he had a very nice excuse to slow his pace and take in the sights.

Normally Machibuse would have gone for a longer run in a weather like that but he needed to head back to get ready for his date. Yaoyorozu had made reservations for their dinner and they were to meet at the Tokyo central station in two hours and thirty minutes. He was not terribly worried however since he could make the ten kilometers back in about twenty minutes if he decided to push for it, but better safe than sorry.

He decided to make the track back without his earphones on, maybe the sounds of the city would get his head out of the impending event.

Turned out that what got him to tune out from thinking about Momo for a bit were some people discussing about the impending retirement of the Turbo Hero Ingenium after his encounter with the Hero Killer. Machibuse felt his stomach drop during the news report he had watched during lunch. Midoriya had told some people in class about Ingenium being attacked causing Iida to miss the closing ceremony yesterday, but no one knew how bad it was until this morning. People were speculating about full paralysis from the waist down or the need to amputate one or both legs.

Machibuse would made a point to visit Tensei in the hospital soon. Maybe Ingenium didn't even remembered who Hakuba was, their only meeting had been four years ago, and they only spoke for about twenty minutes, but those were very important minutes for the young Hakuba back then and they were still very important for the present Hakuba.

Other than that and a few civilians who recognized him from the Sports Festival congratulating him and asking if he was recovering well the track back home was mostly uneventful.

Hopefully it would rain more tomorrow, a longer runtime would allow him to reach further into the docks without changing having to change his usual route. If there was one thing he missed about Okinawa's weather were the rains being more frequent.

By now the weather was kind enough to start holding up for the moment, Machibuse just hoped that it would be like this until he got back home…

Lightning flashed amidst the clouds as Machibuse made his way towards the third floor.

Good thing he knew which box contained his umbrella.

-.

 **March 22th, Tokyo Central Station, 1825**

Machibuse luckily had made it to the station before the weather turned to rain once more. His attire had been spared the wear from the climate; black pants and shoes, white shirt with two buttons opened and a discrete belt to keep everything together. He had pondered about a tie but that felt a little too formal, so it was just the standard dog tags. Under his right arm he carried a deep dark green coat that he took from his army service uniform and a small box of some fancy chocolate he bought earlier today hidden in the coat, it was a date after all.

Only the bandaged right hand got the look of the mark.

He fiddled with the button on the handle of his umbrella as he waited by the station's meeting point, taking care as to not actually push the thing like an idiot.

Unfortunately for him the station's meting point was right under some massive television with the current news on repeat, and that caused a very awkward situation whenever his face appeared on the screen, especially since some eight to ten preschoolers were waiting by his side and one of them was quick to realize that he was the one on the Sports Festival recap.

" _If I knew that this was going to happen I would've gone for a mask since the opening race…"_ Hakuba cursed as he faked not having noticed the growing number of children timidly staring at him.

He had forgotten his earphones on the kitchen counter, so he couldn't even block their mumbling. They were whispering among themselves while glancing back at him every once in a while. Machibuse could feel his shoulders tensing.

After a few seconds they started doing rounds of rock-paper-scissors, prompting Machibuse to start observing with curiosity them from the corner of his eye.

His eyes immediately averted as one of the children started walking towards him. A little girl that couldn't be more than four.

" _No, little one, don't… nononono…"_ Hakuba could already picture himself running from the attention.

"M-Mister?" she stuttered, timidly tugging on his pants.

He took a quick breath, before turning to face her with his façade as soft as possible.

Her hand quickly retracted, apparently they were doing rounds to see who would speak with him and she got the short end of the stick. She was as nervous as he was.

Machibuse took another breath as he kneeled to meet the girl, his expression truly softened now.

"Can I help you ma'am?" he offered, his tone as reassuring as he could manage as he mentally slapped himself in the face for calling a child "ma'am".

Her cheeks turned to a deep…gold? Quirks sure were peculiar things.

"No need to be afraid, see… I'm nervous as well." Hakuba spoke as he offered the little girl a mildly shaky hand. Not the bandaged one, who knows if that would've scared her.

This seemed to get her a little more courageous.

"You are…?" she asked while pointing to the television, just now there were clips from his fight against Kirishima.

Right on cue the clip of the final moments of the fight played out before a cut of his fight against Bakugo began, the short clip of him assuming his fighting stance with the smiling mask on his face.

"On the television? Yes, that would be me." Machibuse nodded.

"Y-you are really a hero mister?" a boy now came running as he asked Machibuse with hopeful eyes.

This not only earned an amazed look from the now gold-faced young girl but from the rest of her friends who were watching from behind her. He could see one of the children, who actually was wearing a medical mask, rushing to find a marker in his little backpack.

Apparently he a fan now.

"Soon enough I will be… Although she says I am already one." Machibuse spoke as he turned his head around. He felt someone approaching his position and had heard the sound of a conversation behind him.

Yaoyorozu had a soft smile on her lips as she approached. Ankle high boots, black pants that fitted her form very well and a light-colored dress that reached about her knees. She had her hair tied as usual and had both her purse and a jacket tucked underneath one arm.

Besides her a woman in her mid-forties also with a smile on her face, likely the one responsible for the entourage that eyed him.

"Machibuse-san." Yaoyorozu spoke as she approached him.

"Pretty…" the girl mused as she looked to Yaoyorozu.

" _Much more than that…"_ Machibuse thought to himself almost saying it out loud, he now stood back up as the teacher called her little troupe back to her.

"Ahh… We have to go! Bye mister hero!" the children bowed quickly as they scampered towards her classmates, a few shy goodbyes coming from the group as they walked towards the departures platform.

Hakuba gave a modest bow towards them. That turned much better than he expected.

"That was precious." Momo admitted with a kind smile.

"Shall we go as well, ma'am?" Hakuba asked as he gave the preschoolers one last look, shifting his belongings from one arm to another.

Momo nodded as they turned to leave the station, putting on her jacket as she felt the cold breeze coming through the doors.

"How is your hand?" she asked as she discretely studied his look.

"Recovering well, can't say there won't be scarring however." Hakuba spoke as he fished for his phone in his right pocket, he had received a message earlier and now the device vibrated a second time. The first one was Ashido's and the one that came just now was Jiro's.

He quirked an eyebrow as he read the texts. The second one felt more like and explanation to the first than anything else.

"I might have sent a picture of you speaking with the kids to the girls of our class." Momo admitted nonchalantly as she took the opportunity to look her own messages.

Hakuba gave out a sigh as he stored the cellphone back, offering his arm to her.

"Suppose that they are on your back about today." he assumed as Momo hooked her arm around his elbow.

"Mostly Mina and Toru, we are the first "couple" in class, so they are making a big deal out of it. The boys are not asking you about it?" Momo responded as she tucked her phone back into her purse.

"Some of them, yes. Kaminari-san actually offered me what he defined as his "seven-step program to hot dating"." Hakuba answered, doing his best to keep his poker face as he mentioned Kaminari's offer.

Momo stifled a laugh as she looked at Hakuba with an incredulous expression.

"I turned down his offer but can't deny I am curious about the details. The Lieutenant likes him, so he can't be that much off the mark." Hakuba added, this got a curious look from Momo.

"Jiro and Kaminari, huh…" she mused.

"Jiro-san is not one to show, but her teasing is how she shows affection. And Kaminari-san gets teased quite a lot, so I have my suspicions." Hakuba explained.

"Makes sense. And that whole braindead thing he does after overusing his Quirk gets her quite amused more often than not... and then there was that talk in the USJ, sure not all that was just a ruse…" Momo observed.

They both stopped and looked at each other.

"We are not sharing this intel with Ashido." Hakuba stated.

"Definitely not." Momo agreed as they resumed walking.

They had walked about fifteen minutes already and could see the restaurant just around the corner.

The lightning inside was dim, the finely detailed wooden floor contrasting with the white tables. Large panels depicting what Machibuse assumed was the French countryside dotted the walls alongside racks of wine bottles that likely were worth their weight in gold.

The place looked lovey and very, very expensive.

" _I better get working on my cooking skills or this woman will run me to the ground if we keep this up…"_ Machibuse could already smell his savings going up in flames as he eyed the establishment from top down, his eyes stopping midway.

"Here we are. Looks quite nice…" Momo spoke as she made her way to the reception desk with Hakuba in tow, not realizing that he was in denial after seeing the prices on the menu.

Soon enough a very well-groomed man led them to their table and proceeded to light the candles as they sat down. Momo began studying the menu in front of him, as one of the waiters left a small basket with various different types of bread and a bottle of water.

Still a little shocked by the price tags Hakuba took a moment to pick up his own menu. Now it was too far to turn back, so he would at least enjoy himself.

Something caught his eye.

Flickering in the candlelight, her gentle, soft features. Eyes that he could lose himself in for longer than he knew.

Her eyes met his for a moment, a shy smile on her lips formed before she propped the menu up to hide her face.

Hakuba felt all the blood in his body rushing to his face as he rushed his attention to the menu in his hands.

" _God dammit Hakuba, you know she is fucking perfect, but you cannot do this to her!"_ his mind rushed as he hastily began reading the various dishes of names he couldn't even pronounce, not progressing very far into his task before confusion became apparent on him face.

Apparently the menu was in French.

He resigned and turned his attention to the bread for a moment.

"Don't know what to order?" Momo asked as her eyes peeked over the menu.

"Issues with the menu, ma'am." Hakuba informed, doing his best to not fluster about his situation.

"Page six." Momo informed.

"Oh." Hakuba responded as he flipped the menu open once more, the names of the dishes were still in French and he couldn't pronounce them without looking like an idiot, but the description now came in Japanese.

In a few minutes the waiter came back to take their orders, Hakuba actually pointed to what he wanted in the menu, something with white fish and shrimp.

Hakuba and Momo sat in silence for a couple moments, awkwardness filled the air as they waited for their meal.

"You know… you still have not explained what got you to hit Todoroki-san yesterday…" Momo broke the silence, not exactly the mood she wanted for her date, but it would be better than just sitting in silence.

Hakuba's shoulder's slumped slightly.

"Not my finest moment." he mused.

"Uncharacteristic of you, sure. That would be something I'd expect from Bakugo." Momo agreed, still waiting for the reasoning behind that.

"I overheard Todoroki-san explaining why he didn't use his fire powers and why he challenged Midoriya-san in the prep room… I will keep the details for now, I can understand why he doesn't speak about it and it would be very irresponsible of me to share this information without his consent. Regardless, the core issue is that he was seemed afraid to move on and I can relate to that… to having your past rearing it's ugly head." Hakuba explained.

"You spoke of "ghosts of the past"… it has to do with what I saw before the Cavalry Battle, doesn't it? You said to me that it had happened once before." Momo asked, the imagery of her friend lost in anger troubling her.

Hakuba gave a shy nod.

"Todoroki-san is not the only one with a troubled past. Our situations differ by miles, but the hurdle of being stuck is something we share, maybe helping him out will get me moving as well." Hakuba admitted, sadness breaking through his façade.

"Quite the hypocrite, aren't I?" Hakuba added with a sigh, resting his hands on the dinner table frustrated.

"Can I help you with it? Tell me." Momo asked with concern, her hands grasping his.

"It's classified information ma'am, can't do it." Hakuba answered, earning back an unamused stare from his date.

He gave her hands a tight squeeze.

"Still, just wanting to be around you is forcing me to push past it." Hakuba spoke without really thinking.

"…Idiot." Momo averted her eyes, her cheeks deep red as she entwined her fingers on his.

" _Great, I said that out lout. Doing a terrible job at keeping my feelings in check…"_ Hakuba cursed in his mind, things were getting out of hand.

Minutes later their food came about. It was a tad bit smaller than Hakuba hopped for when thinking about how much it costed but the smell was fucking amazing.

"Thanks for the meal." They both spoke.

Now the silence had less to do with awkwardness a lot to do with the food, both too well-mannered to speak while eating. That lasted up until Momo stole a shrimp from Hakuba's plate in an impressive display of dexterity with her cutlery.

"Go on, tell the others I did this. No one will believe you." Momo taunted as she took a bite from his dinner.

Hakuba opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't find words to express himself. He resumed eating but now kept a close eye on her movements.

They had their meal mostly undisturbed, only turning to look through the window after the thunder announced the incoming storm and to speak with one of the waiters who recognized them from the Sports Festival, prompting the couple on the table behind them to join the brief conversation and even ask for a picture with the future heroes, saying that their son wanted to join U.A. in a few years. Took Hakuba some courage to agree, but hero duty had its consequences.

Hakuba didn't failed to notice how talking about the Festival got Momo uneasy.

Regardless, the food was amazing, and their friends from the nearby table offered to pay for the dessert. Hero work had very peculiar consequences, but if that entitled him to free food then he would gladly take pictures every so often.

Soon enough they were finished, both quite satisfied and Hakuba with a burning hole in his bank account. He was visibly tense as he inputted his credit card's password, he would be on off-brand microwave curry for the next weeks.

They now stood by the restaurant's door, the weather preventing them from going too far outside.

"So… to the movie theater?" Hakuba asked meekly as another thunder boomed in the distance. They could see the street signs bobbing with the strong winds.

"I suppose that was the original plan…" Momo answered unsure as she watched Hakuba stepping outside to open his umbrella. They would get soaked regardless but she rushed to his side under the clearly strained canopy.

The rain was cold and the wind was ramping up as they took a narrower street. They barely walked ten minutes before Hakuba's cheap umbrella gave up, the cloth and framework bending away from where they were supposed to be.

"God dammit!" Hakuba cursed as he quickly put the broken thing down underneath his arm and started unraveling his cloak.

"I was supposed to give you this later on, but it can't be helped." he spoke as he handed Momo the box of chocolates before holding the cloak above her head.

"Romance at it's finest." Momo laughed as she stepped closer to him so the cloak could shield them both from the water.

"Might be a good idea to change plans ma'am… That one passes by Shoji's, so it likely makes it close to my apartment." Hakuba said as he eyed one of the approaching busses.

"Inviting me to your place? How surprisingly forward of you." Momo teased as they sprinted towards the bus stop.

"Keep it like that and I'm leaving you locked outside!" Hakuba spat back, his face flushing red as they managed to get aboard the bus just before it left. She had completely broken his composure.

-.

 **March 22th, Machibuse Residence, 2025.**

The bus had left them about five minutes from Machibuse's residence and the weather only got worse, they had been huddled together to preserve heat since the start of the ride and now had to face the rain some more.

The whole block was dark, apparently the storm had knocked some cables as they could see cars from the electrical company making their way to the end of the street.

They made it inside completely drenched. Both them laughing at their situation as Hakuba closed the door behind them and tried to turn on the lights in vain, the emergency lightning on the hallway barely making things visible through the kitchen window.

Hakuba turned on the lantern on his cellphone to lessen the darkness around them.

He moved to take of his wet shoes, bumping into Momo as he moved. The narrow entrance hall getting them a little too close.

By instinct Momo turned to face him.

Both tensed up.

Time basically stopped as one waited for the other to make the first move. It took Hakuba's every last bit of restraint to not straight up pin her to the wall.

"I-I…I will go get you a change of clothes. Feel free to use any towel you can find in the bathroom." Hakuba stuttered as he very poorly diffused the situation. His walk so tense that any minor touch would spring his Chelicerae and ruin his best clothes.

Momo gave a nervous nod a she made her way towards his bathroom. In the heat of the moment both had forgotten that she could just create clothing out of her Quirk.

" _Fuuuck this was a bad idea... I was supposed to get some distance between us! Why the hell did I invited her here!?"_ Hakuba's mind was going a million miles per hour as he procured a change of clothing for the woman in his bathroom, making sure to not pick something that would not get too loose nor too tight. Having her dressed in any minimally suggestive way would throw another wrench into his plans.

He took the opportunity to also get himself out of his dampened clothes and into something dry. Her voice coming from the bathroom caused his back to tense further and the Chelicerae on his spine to poke holes into the shirt he just had put on, forcing him to proceed shirtless towards the bathroom.

Hakuba knocked on the door nervously, prompting Momo to open the door slightly while remaining hidden.

Good thing that the power was out and she relied on the light from her phone's screen, for he could faintly see her silhouette on the mirror and would have likely seen many more details than he should if the shadows hadn't covered her.

Hakuba then proceeded to the balcony door, there was some light flashing on the street and that peeked his curiosity. He could vaguely see the same cars that passed by them on the way, their headlights showing a lot of dirt on the sidewalk.

"Something outside?" Momo questioned as she approached him.

"Seems like the wind knocked a tree into the powerline…can't really tell from here." Hakuba answered as he pressed his cheek against the cold glass. The rain was still heavy, so he couldn't open the door to peak without getting another shower.

"Left my clothes hanging on the bathroom. Thanks for these...a little loose but I can manage." Momo spoke as he half-turned to face her, Hakuba had made a dire miscalculation when picking a shirt for her. It was also the first time he had seen her without her hair tied.

Momo made her way to the couch, resigned that they would be without electricity for the next few hours she picked her cellphone and started typing a message.

"Reminds me of Okinawa." Hakuba mused as he joined her in the couch, making sure to keep a safe distance.

"The rain?" Momo asked.

"The rain and the lack of power…the officers would randomly cut the power in the barracks during storms to keep us wise to the real thing." Hakuba explained.

Momo quirked an eyebrow at that.

They spent the next few minutes in silence, both mindlessly swiping on their phones. Momo making sure to try out the little treat she recieved from her date.

She visibly shivered.

"Is it cold like this in Okinawa as well?" Momo asked as she coiled up slightly.

"Negative. Although I actually much prefer not dealing with the heat… This place just gets really cold at night." Hakuba answered as he got up. He knew that he had a blanket somewhere in his room.

Momo pointed the cellphone screen towards him to see where he was going, didn't take long for him to come back and wrap the blanket around her.

"Thank you." Momo spoke as she huddled in.

Hakuba once more sat at the opposite end of the couch.

"Are you not cold?" she asked as she studied his face only visible due to his phone's lantern giving enough light. Momo had the impression that he was avoiding looking at her since their little moment in the entrance hall.

"Negative ma'am." Hakuba spoke.

She knew he was lying, he really was avoiding her.

"Here…" she moved closer, throwing the blanket over his back and pulling him close.

"Momo… don't." Hakuba spoke, she could feel him tensing under her touch.

"Why?" she pushed on, her hand forcing his gaze to meet hers.

"We shouldn't… don't make me fall for you more than I already have…" he admitted somewhat painfully as she leaned her forehead on his.

"What is holding you back?" Momo asked as her hand shyly caressed his cheek, slowly making way towards his chest. The lack of proper lighting made it hard for him to tell how red her face was after that confession, but that didn't matter at this point.

"Classified information ma'am." Hakuba swallowed, he still hid the truth as she slowly brushed her nose past his.

It was clear that he was holding himself back, but he wasn't pulling back as well.

She pressed her lips against his.

He resisted for a moment but soon gave in.

Both greedily enjoyed one another, her fingers tugging on his hair as he pulled her to his lap. Her breasts pressed against his chest as she straddled him, the blanket now falling to the side as he grasped her hips firmly with one hand while exploring her back with the other.

Both were disheveled and gasping for air by the time they broke apart. Eyes locked firmly into each other's. The dim light that came from his cellphone, which had fallen to the floor during their kiss, giving them just enough light.

"I don't… intend on waiting forever while you deal with your ghosts… you idiot." Momo warned in between deep breaths.

"You sure found a way to push me forward…" Hakuba answered eagerly as she leaned in once more.

…

..

.

 _ **It finally happened! Cheers! Excitement! Love!**_

 _ **Deep down we all knew it wouldn't be simple with him, the poor fool.**_

 _ **Next time we talk hero names and some very special internship results.**_

 _ **See ya**_


	16. Aftermath

**March 23th, Machibuse Residence, 0915.**

" _Don't know if I should, but I definitely can get used to this…"_ Hakuba thought as he adjusted himself very carefully in bed. Some few rays of light peeked from underneath the blinds, Hakuba could hear thin rain pelting the glass.

Momo was soundly asleep on top of his chest.

Hakuba carefully tucked a rogue strand of hair behind her ear as the memories from last night played back on his mind. His plan to create some distance between them without causing too much damage to their friendship completely backfired from the start; he knew that his feelings for her would cloud his judgment and his offer to go to his home rather than to the movie theater legitimately came from him concern about having her to deal with yesterday's storm. Hell, he even brought up his suspicions about Jiro to try to sway the conversation, but Momo just had him wrapped around her finger too much.

He had considered that there was a possibility for his plan to go out the window but didn't really envisioned it would come down to this, they didn't even noticed when the power came back due to how…entertained they were. She had been the one to point out that the light in the entrance hall was on while he had her pinned down on the couch. They actually found a decent movie after turning the television and huddling up in the blanket, but both failed to actually pay any attention to it.

Hakuba didn't expect that she would sleep over, but Momo actually pulled away for a moment to call her mother, said that her date went well but the storm had her trapped, so she would spend the night at Uraraka's. A noble lie that was only made harder by his idea to sneak behind her and pepper her neck with some modest (and some not so much) kisses. She almost threw her cellphone on him once her mother hung up, but it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

Still, he was very happy that she stayed. They made it to bed around 0100, fooled around some more and feel asleep in an embrace.

"It's morning already?" Momo's voice came slightly muffed as she lazily pulled the blanket over her head.

Hakuba had a dumb smile in his face as he pulled the blanket some more to join her.

"Sleep well?" he asked as she nuzzled against his skin, a low groan being the only response to his question.

They shifted positions a little, Momo moved up a little as Hakuba turned to lay on his right side, promptly inviting her back to his embrace.

Momo scuttled closer as he wrapped her in his arms. One quick smooch sealed the deal.

Those were a few good minutes.

"What time is it?" Momo asked as she rubbed the sleep of her eyes.

"Something between 0915 and 0930, can't be sure since I couldn't reach the phone to confirm." Hakuba answered, this prompted Momo to roll out of the embrace and reach for her cellphone on top of the box he used as a desk. It was not like he couldn't reach, more like he didn't wanted to wake her up by moving too much.

"Nine twenty-two… how did you do this?" Momo asked impressed as she sat on the edge bed and stretched her back.

Hakuba shrugged as he looked at her.

"You can stop staring you know." she shot a glance at him from the corner of her eye. His shirt, a little too loose on her, graced him with a very welcoming sight as she stretched her arms upwards.

"I was under the impression that I was allowed to stare now." Hakuba said as he sat by her back.

"You were the one who wanted time to sort things out... And since we aren't actually dating you keep your eyes to yourself." Momo responded, a weak smile on her face.

"…One more?" Hakuba asked, leaning his head on her shoulder.

Momo pondered the request for a moment before turning around and forcing his shoulders back to the mattress and eagerly taking his lips on hers once more.

Took them about a minute to come to a halt. Panting, neither of them held anything back. She felt some resistance as she pulled back, one of his hands holding her head close and she was not entirely convinced to stop either.

"And don't you dare to keep me waiting…" Momo whispered into his ear before she pushed herself off the bed, she needed to change and get home.

Hakuba slowly sat up once more as he watched Momo making her way towards the bathroom.

"Yeah... I fucking love this woman."

-.

 **March 23th, Hosu General Hospital, 1500.**

Hakuba had walked Momo to the station nearby his apartment about four hours ago before returning home for a very necessary shower and to procure himself something to eat. The "couple" actually ran into Shoji along the way and thankfully he didn't poise too many questions after he pointed out that Hakuba had a few too many marks on his neck. The look on Momo's face was absolutely incredible as she rushed to pick her make up kit and try her best to mask the evidence the second Shoji left them.

Keeping true to what he told himself to do during his run yesterday Machibuse made his way towards where Ingenium was hospitalized. The Hosu ward was not that exactly close to his apartment, but the thin rain helped him to push for it on foot and he had the one of the best nights of sleep in his life. Who cared if he would run sixteen kilometers more than his usual routine? He felt like running all the way to Nagoya and back… albeit he would like a small break there.

The news didn't brought up anything new regarding the Turbo Hero, so that meant that he was at least in stable condition.

While Machibuse didn't exactly knew where the hospital was he eventually made his way by following the signs.

The hospital staff told him that they couldn't allow fans to go see the injured hero. That made a lot of sense since Ingenium was a very popular hero and it would be inconvenient for him to recover with people constantly rushing in.

Hakuba stopped by the vending machine in the main hall, a bottle of water would be nice and at least he would not leave with the feeling he walked all the way for nothing. Resigned, he turned to leave…

"Machibuse-san!" Called his attention as he reached the door.

Iida came rushing down the hall in his usual mechanical stride.

"Iida-san." Machibuse greeted his classmate.

"You leaving to the station? I am heading home for today." Iida asked. He looked very weary, likely he had slept in the hospital and had been distressed for a while.

"I planned on walking home, but there is nothing preventing me from keeping you company." Machibuse offered as he motioned for them to leave.

"Isn't your house nearby the Ministry of Defense? That's quite far." Iida pondered for a moment before turning to say goodbye to a woman Hakuba supposed to be his mother. Machibuse bowed in respect as well just in case.

"About eighteen kilometers from here. It is a little much, but I prefer it to taking the transport alone." Machibuse explained as they both stepped outside the building. The rain had stopped for now, but likely not for long.

At least the weather report guaranteed that there would be no storm like yesterday's.

The street was still somewhat empty as they walked.

"How is he?" Machibuse broke the silence.

Iida took a while to answer, that didn't paint a pretty picture.

"My brother will live…" Iida spoke with some difficulty.

"This eases my worries." Machibuse nodded, he wouldn't press for details.

"Machibuse-san, if you don't mind me asking, why have you come to this hospital? Your hand isn't recovering well?" Iida asked, his gesturing back to usual as he changed the subject.

"Negative. I have come to see your brother actually; the hospital staff didn't allow me to proceed however." Machibuse informed as he checked on his hand.

"Oh, thank you… after that day in the cafeteria I mentioned you to my brother. Tensei seemed sad when I asked about this event you both attended." Iida said, he was visibly mauling over if asking about would be appropriate.

"It was a funeral four years ago. My parents'… I don't know exactly what connection they had with your brother, but he was one of the very few people there that seemed truly worried about me. I am not as good with words as your brother, but it didn't sit right with me to not be here. As I said before, your brother is a very good man." Machibuse revealed before Iida could decide whether or not to ask.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to push…" Iida looked away for a moment.

"You didn't push a thing, Iida-san. Actually, I suppose it is better for me to stop hiding everything from everyone…" Machibuse interrupted him.

Iida gave a small smile.

"Does Yaoyorozu-san knows about this? I mean, you and her…" Iida questioned with a voice that carried both worry and awkwardness.

Machibuse turned to the taller teen with a visibly annoyed expression breaking through his stoic semblance, prompting Iida to stifle a laugh.

"I suppose now I am pushing it." Iida admitted with a smile.

There was a brief silence as Machibuse regained his composure.

"Although I am interested in seeing how this relationship you two share will play out; while there are no rules against students becoming romantically involved, there are guidelines about how students should behave in this situation. And both of you are model students that adhere to the school rules, so it will be a nice example for other possible couples that may form in our class to follow. Not only that but…" Iida now had realized what the possibility would lead to and now he was way too invested in the idea, his hands moving frantically as he exemplified the situations.

Machibuse simply started to nod in accordance as the class president spoke volumes about the nuances of school regulation and how he intended to uphold them.

At least for now Iida had something to keep his mind away from the hospital.

-.

 **March 24th, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 0840.**

Luckily Machibuse remembered to purchase a replacement for his late umbrella which had sacrificed itself for the greater good. The rain had come early today, and he would prefer not to get his uniform soggy.

He and Shoji were just turning around the corridor that led to his classroom when they spotted Yaoyorozu walking out of the door. She was carrying something in her hand.

Momo was quick to notice them and soon took to meeting them halfway through.

"Shoji-san, mind if I… have a word with him?" she asked gesturing to the make up in her hands.

"I have seen nothing." Shoji shrugged as he allowed them some privacy.

"Before you say anything ma'am, those are entirely your fault." Hakuba spoke as they walked towards a less traveled hallway that divided classes A and B.

"Just stand still… I can't believe that you came all the way here with your collar loose like that! Good thing I know what time you tend to arrive in class…What if the girls saw this!?" Momo panicked as she quickly powdered what remained of the love marks she left on his neck.

"Permission to break protocol ma'am?" Hakuba asked as he cocked his head to the other side so Momo could do her best to hide the other half of her tracks.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I think its adorable when you get flustered like this, but I will remember to put on a tie next time." Hakuba admitted, some color coming to his face as he spoke.

Momo's face went red.

"S-Shut up!" Momo complained, doing her best to keep her voice low as she adjusted his collar up, every layer of protection mattered.

There was a brief silence as she studied the results..

Momo gave him a quick kiss before she started packing her make up. A very welcome surprise.

"For your time. Don't get too used to it… Now go, people will start asking questions if we get in together." She ushered him towards their classroom.

Machibuse took a deep breath to bring his façade back before entering the room.

People were talking about the whole sensation of being somewhat celebrities now.

Some heads turned expectant as he made his way towards his seat on the back of the class, the sensation of being observed still bothered him, but those were people he knew and even called friends, so it wasn't so bad.

He stopped by Todoroki's side, this caused some people to tense since the last time Machibuse did that it ended up with him punching Todoroki across the mouth. The mood turned on its head.

"Todoroki-san… I must apologize for what I did during the Sports Festival." Machibuse bowed sharply.

There was a palpable feeling of release across the class.

"Don't… I guess I needed that." Todoroki offered a sincere nod as Machibuse took his seat.

"How are your wounds?" Todoroki asked, a peace offering perhaps.

"Combat ready. You have my gratitude for what you did in the infirmary." Machibuse replied as he sprung the Chelicerae in his right hand, the inside of his hand now had a visible discolored scar that went from the base of his middle finger to the joint of his thumb, the poison sac inside his palm very apparent underneath the scar tissue. He had lost some sensibility on his hand, but luckily his fingers were fine, so he wouldn't have problems with his bow.

Todoroki gave a nod in acknowledgment and returned to his solitude.

Moments later Ashido simply materialized at his side, Machibuse had absolutely no idea how she got there so fast without his knowledge. She likely wanted to know if her ship had sailed. He also could very well feel over ten to twelve other people watching his response.

"Ashido-san, can I help you?" Machibuse played dumb for the moment, maybe his date would come back to class and share the burden with him.

Although she likely had already been scrutinized like this.

"Spill the beans Machibuse!" Ashido demanded.

"I am well aware you received the picture." Machibuse stalled for time, now it would be a really nice time for their homeroom teacher to step inside.

The door opened…

Yaoyorozu and Uraraka.

Attention as now divided between two people at least, but apparently they decided not to it push so hard on her, she had refused to speak earlier.

"Well yes, that was adorable, but that was at the beginning of the date! You know what I want to know!" Ashido continued, her patience dwindling.

"Just give us a yes or no on whether it is official or not. I don't care about the details, but we are actually running a bet on the result." Tokoyami spoke tiredly, explaining why some unexpected figures like him and Bakugo were giving this any attention.

"Excuse me?" Machibuse turned to meet the bird-headed teen, clearly not expecting that.

"Well, I care about the details! Come on!" Ashido now held Machibuse by the shoulders and began shaking him.

"Ma'am, I request your assistance." Machibuse spoke as his head was forced to bob back and forward.

Momo gave the faintest nod as she looked away from the issue, she would back up his version of the history.

"…Results were inconclusive. The storm caught us midway through and we had to change plans. Dining was fine, although more expensive than I liked, if we do this again I will pick the place to eat." Machibuse admitted amidst the rocking he received, he decided not to lie but instead keep information to a minimum. Its not like everyone in that room needed to know what the change of plans resulted in.

"What!?" Ashido continued to shake him, now harder.

"I KNEW THAT THEY WOULDN'T DO SHIT! NOW PAY UP SUPPORTING CAST!" Bakugo shouted as he rose a fist in victory. He had been the only one to bet on neither "Yes" or "No", rather he created the "Fucking nothing will change." option in the betting pool.

A lot of people voiced their complains, but that was cut short as the door opened again and everyone rushed to their seats.

"Good to see your bandages are off, Aisawa-sensei." Tsuyu offered as their homeroom teacher made his way towards his desk.

"The old lady went overboard. But never mind that, today we got a special hero informatics class." Aisawa spoke as he rubbed his eyes.

" _So we got a test right after the Festival? Great…"_ Machibuse's thoughts were interrupted as the teacher explained what was to come.

"You will be deciding on your hero names."

The class basically exploded.

Aisawa's hair shot up, everyone instantaneously was back at their seats.

"But first, I am sure you remember the pro draft picks I mentioned before the Sports Festival. You could say it's a way for them to show their interest in your future… there is ample time for interest in those that have already gained some fame to wane, so those of you who did can expect higher hurdles to overcome on the next years." Aisawa explained as he turned on the screen.

TODOROKI: 4123

BAKUGO 3456

TOKOYAMI: 360

IIDA: 301

MACHIBUSE: 289

KAMINARI: 272

YAOYOROZU: 109

KIRISHIMA: 68

URARAKA: 20

SERO: 16

"Usually it is more spread out than this, but the top two stole most of the spotlight." Aisawa added.

"Man, that's way too much of a difference!" Kaminari voiced his displeasure even with his solid position in the top ten.

Machibuse couldn't deny that he wasn't expecting such a massive gap in interest, he wondered if he actually had secured the second place in the first event would have shot him at least past Tokoyami but seeing that Midoriya didn't make it at all weighted against that possibility.

"Didn't they get first and second place backwards?" Kirishima pondered out loud.

"I think having to be chained to the podium scared some people away. Bakugo is kinda deranged." Sero guessed.

"SAY THAT AGAIN SOY SAUCE FACE!" Bakugo shouted with another wonderfully angry expression.

"Well done as always, Todoroki-san." Yaoyorozu spoke timidly.

"Its mostly because of my father." Todoroki replied, dissing the praise.

There was it again, Momo once more was acting up when it came to the Festival.

"With that out of the way, everyone will be having a chance to work alongside the pros over the next week, those who weren't picked in the draft will receive a list of forty workplaces willing to take you in… you might already have experienced more than most but seeing the pros in action will be worthy your time." Aisawa explained.

"And that is where your hero names come in!" Another figure came through the door.

Seeing Midnight was always revitalizing to Hakuba, although now he felt like Momo would get upset if he looked too much.

"The name you pick now maybe what the worlds ends up calling you. There are plenty of pro heroes stuck with names they rather change out there!" Midnight spoke as she carried her figure towards the teacher's desk.

"Midnight will be here to assess the sensibility names you choose. I'm just not good at that." Aisawa informed, making a brief pause to pick his sleeping bag.

"What future do you see for yourself? Try choosing a name that will bring you closer to that image, names reflect one's true character. Like "All Might" for exemple." he added before closing himself into his cocoon.

All the students received markers and whiteboards.

Machibuse knew he could just write down his name and it would be good enough, but at the same time he also considered imprudent to not give himself an alias. Even if he wasn't interested in becoming some sort of superstar, it would be better to have a name for people to call. There were some ideas backed in his mind, he knew this day would come eventually and had prepared for it over his time in U.A.. Still, picking on what could be your calling card for the rest of your life was a tough choice.

Some people like Yaoyorozu, Kirishima and Tsuyu had names written down in seconds. Others like Kaminari and Midoriya were visibly struggling. Weirdly enough Iida was stuck as well, one would imagine that he already had a name from long before joining the Hero Course.

"We can start with whoever is ready!" Midnight called out as she spotted how some of the students were already finished.

Aoyama was the first to the chopping block.

" _He looks confident at least…"_ Machibuse thought as the blonde revealed his hero name.

"Shining Hero: I Cannot Stop Twinkling."

"… _The fuck?"_ the proverbial train of thought had crashed and burned.

"THAT'S A WHOLE SENTENCE!" people in class shouted in disbelief.

"Hmm… it will be easier if you contract the "cannot" into "can't", rolls of the tongue better." Midnight suggested.

" _Midnight ma'am, I don't think that this is the core issue with his name."_ Machibuse's expression spoke volumes about his mind. Instinctively he turned to face Yaoyorozu, her reaction was not too different from his.

"I'm next!" Ashido skipped towards the front of the desk.

"Call me Alien Queen!" she said assertively.

"That thing with acidic blood!? Want to scare everyone!?" Midnight interjected.

Ashido made her way back to her table, dejected.

Machibuse actually liked the name, but kept his mouth shut.

He looked down to his blank whiteboard one more time.

" _I guess that its fine…"_ Machibuse mused as he picked the marker and wrote a name down.

One by one his classmates made their reveals: Shoji's was pretty straightforward, Tsuyu's was just fucking adorable, Tokoyami unsurprisingly went for the dark theme, Kirishima made homage to a hero of the old days, Ashido's second try passed Midnights judgement, Todoroki just used his own name, Jiro used her Quirk's and Yaoyorozu's took a more refined approach. Bakugo's was a fucking joke and got denied.

It was his turn.

Machibuse made his way to the front desk with the whiteboard in hand.

"It actually was Cementoss-sensei who gave me the idea…" he revealed the name.

 _Protocol: White Rider_

"A little grim, don't you think?" Midnight asked. She and a the more erudite students looked a little surprised.

"Affirmative, that is why I decided for a more lighthearted epithet." Machibuse responded with the faintest smile.

"I don't really get it… I mean, I liked the "Breaking the protocol" inside joke there, but I don't get why a pun on your name is grim." Kaminari asked out.

"Yeah, I know your name translates to white horse and you have a decent amount of white in your outfit, especially now that you turned that mask into a real thing… but I don't see what is behind the name as well." Ojiro added.

"The horseman on the white horse was clad in a showy and barbarous attire. While his horse continued galloping, he was bending his bow in order to spread pestilence abroad. At his back swung the brass quiver filled with poisoned arrows, containing the germs of all diseases." Tokoyami quoted impressed.

"Huh?" some people were more confused now than before.

Machibuse wasn't surprised that Tokoyami was the one to get an apocalypse the reference so precisely.

"The first horseman of the apocalypse, the one to ride the white horse, is depicted as a bowman. You actually already have a reference to it on your hero costume, don't you? The kanji?" Yaoyorozu explained. That was the second time Machibuse brought up some literary reference, he paid a lot of attention to their literature classes now that she thought about it.

Machibuse nodded.

"My quiver isn't one to actually carry disease, but that is a technicality at this point. I was already aware of the coincidence before, but Cementoss-sensei was the one to point out that it would be a good hero name." he explained his decision.

Midnight smiled in approval. That fitted very Machibuse well.

"Well, that went by a lot smother than expected… now its just Iida, Midoriya and Bakugo's revision." Midnight said as she waited for the wrap up.

Machibuse couldn't help but peek at Iida's whiteboard, he was currently erasing the letters I and N from it. His expression as one of clear trouble.

Iida made it to the front desk with his name written in the board. But unlike Todoroki he looked very conflicted about that.

Now Machibuse really had to speak with Tensei.

Midoriya was up next. His reveal caused some surprise.

 _Deku_

"…someone helped me to see this name in a new light and it made me very happy… I will be the Deku that gives his all." Midoriya explained. Machibuse couldn't miss Uraraka's beaming smile at that and smile a little as well.

Bakugo would spend the next five minutes trying to get one of his atrocious attempts on a hero name through Midnight to no avail and that caused his naming to be postponed.

"Now that we dealt with your names… Here, these are the available workplaces for you. I will be handing out the personalized lists for those who were drafted, get in a line here by my desk. Those who weren't pick one from this stack and pass it around." Aisawa resumed the class as he pulled up various papers from underneath his desk.

Todoroki and Bakugo both received bundles of paper that looked more like magazines. The other eight drafted students received more modest offerings. Everyone now had a task to complete.

"You have two days to decide on the mater of your workplace choice, Monday I will see you off with your gear at the station." Aisawa finished.

The students were left to deal with their choice for the moment.

Machibuse quickly shifted through the pages in his hands.

" _Nope, no fucking clue who these people are…"_ he thought as he once more was reminded that he knew basically nothing about hero culture. He would need to do some research.

…or he could simply just ask Midoriya for help. Midoriya would know what to agency to pick.

The later was far easier.

"Midoriya-san…" Machibuse called out as he turned.

"…divide them up according to their specialities. Then I will look up the numbers of resolved cases by each one in order to determine which one has the attributes that would be more informative for me as I am now…" Midoriya was mumbling loudly as he quickly ran his eyes over the possibilities time and time again.

Machibuse simply joined Uraraka, Ashido, Mineta and Ojiro as they observed the very peculiar scene.

"Already decided?" Ashido asked him as their little observation proceeded.

"Negative. Actually I am considering asking for Midoriya-san's help, he knows much more than me about the people on the list I've been handed." Machibuse explained as he tried to find a method in Midoriya's madness.

"Oh yeah, you don't really keep up with that stuff…" Ashido realized the issue.

By that time Midoriya realized that people were staring at him mumbling. His face went through all the shades of red.

"C-c-can I help you guys?" Midoriya stuttered.

Machibuse looked at the people by his side. He had been the last one to arrive, so if they needed Midoriya then he would wait for his turn.

"This one here needs some Hero Culture 101." Ashido pushed Machibuse forward, apparently they didn't have any real issue that needed immediate attention.

"Suppose I do. Mind if I ask you to help me with choosing an agency for the next week?" Machibuse asked as he handed his list to Midoriya.

"Ah, sure… If you just need some pointers I think it will be quick." Midoriya took to carefully read the names.

He turned the pages and almost passed out about midway through the third one.

His eyes were wide as he turned to Machibuse and back to the list, then back to Machibuse again.

"Midoriya-san… is something wrong?" Machibuse asked, he and everyone watching were pretty confused by Midoriya's reaction.

Deku frantically searched for his pen before he circled one of the names.

"Don't even bother looking at the other ones… And try to get me an autograph!" Midoriya handed back the list with trembling hands, he looked close to having a stroke.

Machibuse looked at the paper to see what got him so distressed.

"Is this "Edgeshot" such a big deal?"

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Get your shurikens and smoke bombs, we are going ninja next time.**_


	17. Enter Edgeshot

_**Just reached 10k views on this history. Seriously guys, you are awesome.**_

-.

 **March 24th, U.A. Highschool Cafeteria, 1235.**

"Life is so unfair! I got as far as you in the Festival and you are getting a week under the number five! I didn't even get drafted!" Ashido complained shaking her fists at Machibuse.

He was too busy with his meal to reply, naturally his discipline would not allow himself to speak while slurping on his soba. Not his usual meal of choice, but he actually spotted Todoroki ordering some and got curious enough to try.

Machibuse's unexpressive face in front of her just tilted Ashido further.

"Do something Yaomomo!" her tantrum continued as she now turned to Yaoyorozu, who was sitting by his side.

"I can't really see how I can help with that…" Yaomomo spoke as she rose an eyebrow, the new nickname surprising her.

"Still, that's pretty amazing Captain… any pointers for us mere mortals to follow for next year?" Jiro asked as Machibuse placed his now empty bowl on the table.

"Negative Lieutenant. I had no intel on Edgeshot prior to today, so I couldn't have planned on doing something to impress him specifically." Machibuse replied as he pondered about how much he actually had liked his meal. He liked the noodles, but it felt a little odd to have them cold.

"I know you didn't really had interest before, I mean, you didn't even watch the Festival before joining the Hero Course… but the guy is like, top five in the country! How can't you not know him?" Ashido still was in denial as she poked her food with the chopsticks.

"You just said it: I had no interest. By now you are all aware of how poorly I deal with attention, so it never really envisioned myself doing hero work… I still have some difficulty now. I knew about the top three to an extent. Beyond that just some other heroes like Aisawa-sensei that appeared on some of my textbooks or those who I meet in person like Ingenium and Ectoplasm-sensei. Suppose that I am slowly catching up, but it will take me some more effort to sort everything." Machibuse explained.

"Still, I can't deny that now I am looking forward to meeting Edgeshot. I have done a quick research about him after I was told to pick his agency, apparently he is not the kind of man to go for public appearances and yet managed to build an impressive reputation, and he is known to approach combat from a very tactical perspective. No wonder Midoriya-san was so… assertive back when I asked for his help, this is quite a perfect fit." he added.

"Suppose that it makes more sense the more you think about it… I'm happy for you." Yaoyorozu concluded.

Something was definitely wrong.

Hakuba adjusted himself on the seat as an excuse to move a little closer to Momo, his hand grasping hers without drawing the attention of those that sat across the table. He gave her a worried glance.

Momo gave his hand a tight squeeze before placing both her hands back on the table.

"You knew Ectoplasm-sensei before joining U.A.?" Jiro cocked her head to the side.

"He is from Okinawa as well. People back in the island joke that "he might be our only decent hero, but at least he can fool the headcount to make Okinawa look good.". He actually grades my tests and homework in Okinawan dialect to keep the practice." Machibuse answered.

Machibuse and Ectoplasm used some weird words every so often when they talked and even had some inside jokes, that at least made sense now.

"So, just getting the idea out here… when do you plan on inviting us to your place in Okinawa? I know the beaches are amazing there." Ashido asked with some mild hope about getting a nice vacation without shelling out money on a hotel.

"Not so soon I am afraid." Machibuse denied her, allowing himself a sigh.

"Why not?" Yaoyorozu asked. She knew that reaction, apparently there was more trouble incoming.

"Permission to break prot…"

"Yes." all three girls responded in unison.

"That would be my grandmother's place… and I just can't stand the fucking hag. Always scheming to come out on top of everything, that old viper has a plan for everything." Machibuse admitted as his eyes rolled back at the memories.

"At least now we know where you got that from, Captain…" Jiro jabbed with a smirk.

"Can you not Lieutenant?"

-.

 **March 26th, U.A. Highschool Development Testing Range, 1415.**

Today was the last day for the students of Class 1-A to submit their desired workplaces for the incoming week, but that was not the reason behind Machibuse's need to come to U.A. during the weekend. He had submitted his form to work at Edgeshot's agency the same day he received the draft results.

Machibuse had other business to attend today.

 _*BOOM*_

"Hatsume-san… was that supposed to explode? How did you even get steel cable to explode?" Machibuse asked in surprise as he lowered his bow.

The was barely anything left of the paper target that the engineer had pinned to the wall.

"Hmm…" Hatsume brought a hand to her chin as she studied the results.

"Well, never mind that! I got some other babies over there, saved the best for last!" she dismissed the issue entirely as she pulled her partner to the next shooting range by the arm. As usual she had no concept of personal space.

Hatsume had called Machibuse to come over the Support Department to test a few things she had been working on. Somehow she also ended up tricking him into paying for her lunch when they decided to eat something before continuing to their current location.

"This one here is the strongest contender of this bunch. I saw that you could just run on top of the cables back in the Festival, so I ditched the idea of getting something to pull you along the wire. Just make sure to have this one pointed at whatever you want to anchor your end of the rope." she explained while handing out one very uniquely tipped arrow. A little bulky for standard projectile, this one had a second point protruding at an angle from the arrowhead. It was surprisingly light however.

"There is about nine meters of nanofiber cable condensed in there, the same stuff on your drawstring. The thingy sticking out will fly off once you shoot so watch out for your feet." She added as Machibuse stopped studying the device and knocked it into his bow.

The arrow was sent flying in one swift motion. There was a subtle sound of pressure being released as the second point was propelled towards the floor, imbedding itself into the cement firmly.

Instants later the main body stuck to the target and something quickly reeled inside it causing the wire attached to the offshoot projectile to tense up.

"This baby should hold up about twice your body weight, but that depends on what you are anchoring it to really." Hatsume pointed out as her partner quickly stepped onto the cable and walked its length, giving some heavier steps to test how stable it was. The tightwire was a little thinner than what he was used to, so he was not able to actually run on it, but nothing that training couldn't fix.

"So?" the engineer asked eagerly as she walked besides Machibuse.

"Can't ask for anything better ma'am. Since I am not physically attached to the cable I can get more creative on how to use it." Machibuse nodded as he jumped off the wire.

"Nice! This settles the Dashwire Arrow design and my assignment for this week's class! Just gonna ask you to sign some stuff when we are done with this next." Hatsume exclaimed as she pried the arrowhead from the wall and gave it a twist, causing the offshoot to slowly reel back in.

"Very well. What comes next?" Machibuse asked noticing that this was the last of the firing ranges she had set up.

"We heading outside for this one, Maijima will get pissy if we make a mess in here… I've been tinkering with one of those Delivery Arrows of yours, let's say that this last adorable baby of mine packs some more oomph…" Hatsume explained as she quickly made her way towards the open area, once more pulling on her business partner's arm so he would not delay the testing of her babies.

"By the way, you haven't told me about were you are going for the next week. Told ya to get me some nice publicity!" she added, turning her face in as she expected the response.

"Right. You tasked me with getting your work to one of the top ten so…" Machibuse started.

"Yeah, that would be nice, but I can see that I was a little too demanding." Hatsume cut him mid-sentence in a self-aware tone unfitting of her.

"…I will be working under the Ninja Hero Edgeshot here in Tokyo." Machibuse finished his sentence.

Hatsume Mei stopped for a moment as she processed the information.

"YES!" she threw her arms up suddenly, forcing Machibuse to dodge to the side to avoid an uppercut.

"I KNEW YOU WOULD BE A GOOD INVESTME... EUREKA!" Hatsume now was cutting her own lines in excitement as she ran back into the building and promptly dove into a toolbox looking for something.

"Hatsume-san?" Machibuse turned confused.

"GET OFF THAT COSTUME WHILE I LOOK FOR A MEASURING TAPE!" the engineer was going absolutely ballistic.

"E-EXCUSE ME!?" Machibuse's eyes widened as he pieced together her demand into something very inappropriate.

"FOUND THEM! JUST GOT AN AMAZING IDEA FOR A NINJA-THEMED SUPPORT ITEM AND I NEED THE MEASUREMENTS OF THOSE THINGS ON YOUR BACK!" Hatsume rushed to his side carrying every measuring device she could find.

" _The first conversation between her and Momo will be awkward."_ Machibuse took a deep breath to clear his mind of perversions.

"COME ON! I CAN'T GET TO MAKING THIS BABY WITHOUT YOUR HELP!"

" _Real fucking awkward…"_

-.

 **March 27th, Hosu General Hospital, 1400.**

"You sure ma'am? I am well aware that I am not in position to ask you not to hide anything, but I worry about you." Hakuba spoke over the phone.

He had come back to attempt to speak with Ingenium once more, but once again was denied by the hospital staff. This time however someone interjected. Iida's mother had overheard him speaking with the people in the reception and recognized Hakuba as a friend of her younger son.

She asked for him to wait for a moment while she checked if Tensei was awake.

Meanwhile he needed to know what had Momo so distraught, so he called before going meeting with Ingenium. Hakuba needed to clear his mind before going in. He was worried about both Yaoyorozu and Iida, but for vastly different reasons.

" _I am a little insecure, that's all…"_ Momo responded meekly.

"It has to do with the Festival, am I correct?" Hakuba pressed on.

" _That is classified information."_ She joked.

Hakuba chuckled.

"Momo… don't feel afraid of asking. I might not be the best at this, but…" he spoke now with concern in his voice, failing to find words to tell her.

" _I just need to get my mind out of it, a week on a hero agency should do it."_ Momo assured him.

There was a brief silence in the call.

" _I know you are here for me Hakuba… Thank you."_ Momo added.

"I love you…" Hakuba mustered courage to speak.

She had already hung up.

Machibuse dropped his head in defeat. She surely already knew, but he never actually had told her, and this bothered him a lot because her didn't knew when he would get the courage to repeat that phrase.

About ten minutes passed before he was called by one of the staff members and directed towards a closed of area of the intensive care unit.

Machibuse knew it would be bad, but he didn't expect that much.

"Hey... Hakuba…Long time no see..." Ingenium spoke with clear difficulty. He had various tubes and cables hooked onto his body, bandages over his scalp and his stomach was visibly patched from extensive surgery.

What caused Hakuba more worry however was the sight on Ingenium's feet poking from underneath the blankets, they weren't propped up like normal, rather they were just tilting to the sides, motionless. The man in had clearly tensed up when he spoke just now, but his legs just didn't react the same way. They didn't react at all.

Hakuba wasn't even sure how to begin.

"Its pretty bad… I know." The older Iida admitted, a very painful smile forming on his face.

"You used the same line last time, Ingenium." Hakuba jabbed as he made his way towards the chair besides the hospital bed.

"Call me Tensei… Tenya is "Ingenium" from now on… I passed the mantle to him. Small world… both you… and my brother on the same class." Tensei started but took a long breath before continuing.

" _Was Iida going to name himself Ingenium? That matches with what I saw him erasing from the whiteboard…"_ the thought crossed Machibuse's mind as Tensei began again.

"So… I guess you didn't just… come here to hear me rambling."

"I was worried about you, I am not as good as my father when it comes to healing with my Quirk, but I wanted to see if there was anything I could do to help." Hakuba explained as he studied Tensei's vitals on the monitors.

"What else… has you worried?" Tensei asked.

There was no use in lying to him.

"Back then, four years ago, you approached me saying that I had "the face of someone who was about to lash out or had just done so."… what gave that away?" Hakuba asked, his shoulders slumping as he ran back the memories of that day on his mind.

"You think… someone is about to lose it?" Tensei mused.

"Your brother." Hakuba admitted looking at the monitors once more.

There was a clear spike in the vitals.

"He will be under the supervision of a pro-hero. That has me at ease... Still, you know I have been on your brother's shoes before; acting while blinded by rage. Nothing good comes from it even if I doubt that he will go the same length." Hakuba explained.

"You… think Tenya wants to avenge me." Tensei concluded, his tone now dead serious.

"It likely is just me misreading your brother's feelings, it is hard to deny that the military has caused my sensibility in that regard to dull. I just cannot discard the possibility, I apologize if I got you worked up over the issue." Hakuba soothed the situation, the man he was talking to had just been at death's door, he did not need the stress.

"I guess… Well, its good to… see that my brother has friends that worry this much for him." Tensei smiled, taking a deep breath before continuing.

"Might as well give you… some pointers. Both on seeing if Tenya is really… gonna do it and on how to avoid the Hero Killer… so listen up soldier."

-.

 **March 28th, Tokyo, Musutafu Train Station, 0800.**

"All of you, be on your best behavior! Now go." Aisawa dismissed his students as they proceeded to their respective platforms.

"Iida!" Midoriya called as the group dwindled in size.

"…if it ever gets to be too much and you need to talk… we are your friends." he spoke as Iida turned to face him, Uraraka nodding in agreement.

"Sure." Iida spoke with a smile before he took to finding his platform.

Machibuse felt terribly uneasy about that.

A hand grasped his, he had been so keen on keeping track of Iida that he failed to notice who approached from behind.

"See you in a week." Momo spoke as she gave his hand a tight squeeze before heading out.

That was one smile that got Hakuba's mood up.

"Until then ma'am." he nodded as he also got moving.

Luckily for Machibuse his journey would be a quick one. He was bound to Tokyo Central, Edgeshot's agency was in the vicinity of the Imperial Palace. People said that he had chosen the location because the land supposedly once housed barracks that belonged to the Oniwaban centuries ago. Machibuse had learned a few things about Edgeshot over the last few days, but most things he found on the web were rumors around the Ninja Hero.

Regardless, he needed to find platform two, board the regular train (some of the students would take the bullet train) and find seat sixty-one A. And find something to drink on the way.

A few minutes later Machibuse had acquired a bottle of some fizzy drink he assumed was just pure liquid sugar and found his seat in the train.

" _Two hundred seconds and eighty seconds to departure."_ Machibuse started a mental timer as he picked up his phone and resumed his reading on the man that would be his boss for the week.

"Fifty-five B, fifty-six B…" a familiar voice came from the corridor, heading in his direction.

"And sixty-one B, here we go… M-Ma-Machibuse-san!? F-fa-fancy meeting you here!" Mineta stuttered as he realized he was to travel besides the madman that intended on ending his life last week.

Machibuse took a deep breath as he turned to the pervert. Eighteen other classmates and he had to travel with the one he actually disliked.

Machibuse had begun to build somewhat of a friendship with Todoroki since the Sports Festival, or at least he liked to believe so. Bakugo was still a dick, they had come to respect each other as combatants.

Mineta on the other hand…well, Hakuba was actually still waiting for Momo to give him the call to tie little creep to a tree somewhere far away from civilization.

Still, he had to be civil. Learning to let go of certain things was important.

"Mineta-san." Machibuse greeted.

The train departed.

" _Eighteen hundred seconds."_ Machibuse began as he leaned his head back into the cushion and closed his eyes.

Too polite to actually just shut himself away with the earphones, Machibuse simply enjoyed the silence. It was just the three in row sixty-one: Machibuse, Mineta and the brick wall built between them.

But of course that couldn't last that long.

"Hmm… Machibuse-san.." Mineta unfortunately broke said silence.

Machibuse turned his attention towards his diminutive classmate. He had a gut feeling of what was coming next.

"So, man to man question here, you guys doing it or not?"

-.

 **March 28th, Tokyo, Edgeshot Hero Agency, 0845.**

Machibuse's grip on his suitcase tightened as he stood in front of a distinctively traditional looking building, white walls decorated by dark gray shingles above the wide wooden windows. Seven wide floors, ground and top floors had visibly taller ceilings. It was possible to see the canopies of large cherry trees on the terrace, likely a garden of some sort. One access ramp of to the side gave away the presence of an underground a garage. Every so often there were statues of koi fish perched on the corners of the building, one of them curiously sporting Edgeshot's characteristic hairdo.

Machibuse chuckled as he pondered if Edgeshot and Shoji went to the same barber.

He also could not fail to notice the amount of people commenting about the Ninja Hero as they passed by, some taking selfies in front of the agency.

One deep breath and he made his way in through the automatic wooden doors that led to a set of traditional paper doors that also moved automatically.

Interior was, as he expected by the exterior, that of a traditional Japanese building, but the graces of modern technology were abundant, air conditioning, vending machines, six televisions perched together into a larger screen in front of a waiting area that actually had a decent number of people in it; two news teams by their attire and gear.

They obviously noticed Machibuse entering the agency and were visibly debating since he wore the U.A. uniform. A large number of medals and awards were on display behind a glass panel nearby them.

He opted to bow his head as a greeting and proceed to speak with the receptionists. Two men about their late twenties, twins by the looks of it, one in green and the other in orange. They sat at two separate tables, one on either side of what looked like a lift.

"Hello young man, welcome to the Edgeshot Hero Agency…" the one in orange began.

"…how may we help you today? What is your fancy?" and the one in green finished as Machibuse approached the desk.

It took Machibuse some effort no to show his confusion as he bowed towards the duo.

"My name is Machibuse Hakuba, I have come from U.A. Highschool to work under the Ninja Hero Edgeshot for this week. Glad to make your acquaintance." Machibuse introduced himself.

This promptly caused the reporters to scramble to their feet and Machibuse to immediately tense up.

Both the receptionists sighed in unison.

"Pay them no mind…"

"…just leave them behind."

"We know it's frustrating…"

"…but the boss is waiting!"

"Ascend to the garden floor…"

"…for you may go through the door!"

They then gestured simultaneously towards the brass door between them and right on cue said door opened revealing an elevator.

"Thank you." Machibuse happily complied and made his way towards the lift before the mob reached him, the brass door closing behind him as soon as he stepped in.

" _This will be one very interesting week."_ He mused as he pressed the topmost button in the panel.

Soon Machibuse arrived at the garden. And what a sight, the cherry trees in the garden,that likely had bloomed just a few days ago, were arranged in a way to form a vague path in between the elevator and a house, apparently a miniature replica of the Iga Ueno Castle in the Mie region, near the back end of the floor, the only building on the garden. Machibuse counted six small tori gates and three ponds along the path that led to what he assumed to be his destination, nine stone statues of similar size were visible amongst the trees, but there were likely a few more that Machibuse's eyes failed to spot. The man surely had style and the funds to pay for it.

Machibuse could see Kamihara Shinya, the Ninja Hero Edgeshot, sitting in front of the doorway to the building. The hand carrying his suitcase instinctively tightened its grip on the handle as the Ninja Hero's only visible eye drilled Machibuse, but his posture did not weaver as he reached the base of the small stairway to Edgeshot's position.

"Thank you for having me, Edgeshot Sir! I am looking forward to be under your guidance!" Machibuse spoke as he bowed sharply in respect.

"Before we start, I have two questions for you." Edgeshot spoke in response.

"Yes Sir!" Machibuse straightened his back to answer, his free hand behind it.

"I suppose you are aware that it is unusual for me to take in students, specially first-years. Do you know why I choose you?" Edgeshot asked.

It took Machibuse a couple of seconds to respond.

"Being completely honest Sir, I can't see why. I'd consider my performance in the U.A. Sports Festival was passable at best, specially taking in account the final moments of the opening race and how I got carried through the Cavalry Battle by Shinso." Machibuse admitted, that question was in his mind since he took upon the offer.

"You caught my eyes when you passed Endeavor's son during the race, there I saw technique. And then when you allowed yourself to drop to third place during the second obstacle in order to preserve yourself for the final stretch I saw tactic, although I didn't expect you to freeze before the finish line. The Cavalry Battle caused me to lose interest in you, but when Shinso's Quirk was revealed during the final tournament I understood why you acted like that, relying on his Brainwash made me see logic and that brought my interest in you back… Even if your spirit was visibly lacking during most of your first fight, you showed tenacity during it's final moments and that carried over to your second fight. Those were only confirmed when I watched back the footage available from your fight alongside Endeavor's son during the USJ attack." Edgeshot explained.

Machibuse was about to thank the man for the praises but the second question came before he could speak.

"Despite all that you never showed heroism. My second question for you is: Do you not see yourself as a hero?" Edgeshot asked firmly, watching the teen in front of him with great intensity.

Machibuse averted his gaze for slightly, a small smile breaking through his façade as he turned back to face the hero in front of him.

"I can't deny that I still have some trouble leaving behind my doubts about my future as a pro-hero, but I promised someone that I would never allow myself to disregard what I can do as a hero again." Hakuba spoke his heart as he remembered what Momo had said to him the day before the Festival.

Kamihara's expression softened ever so slightly

"I contacted U.A. on the day following the Festival to clear some doubts I had regarding you, the R-Rated Hero Midnight told me about your speak before your last battle. That is what convinced me to send a request for you, I want to see that heroism Midnight assured you had in." the pro spoke as he got up to his feet in one quick motion and motioned for Machibuse to follow.

"Welcome to the Edgeshot Hero Agency."

-.

 **March 28th, Tokyo, Streets of Shinjuku, 1400.**

It was Machibuse's first time patrolling the streets in costume, the White Rider had made his debut about ninety minutes ago with much more allure than he would ever expect or actually want. Following close behind Japan's top five hero in one of the busiest places in Tokyo caused a lot of people to look and take pictures. Some recognized his mask from the Festival and that spurred some discussion amongst the onlookers, turned out that his idea to conceal himself backfired horribly. Momo was a fucking marketing genius if she envisioned that to happen.

Luckily Edgeshot's reputation for dismissing questions while on patrol prevented all but the most courageous of the fans from actually approaching the duo. He had warned Machibuse that this would likely happen and instructed the teen to just give the fans his hero name when asked and tell them that he was on the job so there was no time to speak.

Edgeshot also warned him to turn all his information available in social media to private or at most to friends only and to turn off messages and friend requests before they left for patrol duty. The agency's marketing department would set up a profile for his hero identity to funnel all the questions that, according to Edgeshot himself, could be very well left unanswered. The Ninja Hero admitted that while he truly preferred not to deal with the public it was the marketing department that asked him to keep it like that since now it was too late to change the public image he created.

Patrol duty was somewhat uneventful during the day but Machibuse was taught that patrol had actually more purposes than just preventing crime: It provided those performing it with a chance to see how the area changed over time, making it easier to spot irregularities that needed to be investigated and, more importantly, gave the public a stronger sense of security.

"How familiar are you with the area?" Edgeshot asked as they stopped by a traffic light.

"My apartment nearby the Ministry of Defense, so I know the general layout of the Shinjuku area. Can't say I know it too deeply however, only been here in Tokyo for a month now." White Rider answered as he pulled his hood down, it was starting to warm up and by now he had already gotten comfortable enough with the civilians looking to be only with the mask. Good thing he thought about adding a mask to his costume, otherwise he would feel really unease.

"Very well, we will be starting to move back to the agency, but we will be taking a different route, away from the main streets. Daytime might be discouraging to evildoers here, but things change as we head into the back alleys. You are not supposed to do any actual fighting while we patrol, but I trust that the run-of-the-mill thugs are nothing more than an inconvenience to you if the push comes to a shove." Edgeshot spoke as they took a sharp turn.

"Expecting trouble, Sir?" White Rider asked as he followed.

"Nothing out of the ordinary. The Hero Killer is a threat that we need to consider, but chances are low. Regardless, his actions may embolden villains to attack." Edgeshot answered.

"You intend on capturing him, Sir?" White Rider asked, his interest in the issue seeping a in his voice by the faintest amount.

"If the opportunity presents itself." Edgeshot stated.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, the street was now more devoid of people.

"Why so much interest in the Hero Killer?" Edgeshot asked, he had clearly picked up.

"Personal matters. Iida Tensei is someone that helped me when I was younger." The teen admitted.

"Ingenium? Didn't took you for someone looking for revenge." Edgeshot spoke, now turning his head to face his follower.

"Not revenge Sir, worry. One of my classmates is his younger brother and he was headed to Hosu for this week." White Rider explained.

"I see. I will get some of my intelligence personnel to keep an eye on Hosu if that eases your worries." the pro offered.

Hakuba nodded in gratitude, he had a legitimately honest smile on his face that unfortunately was hidden behind the mask. Luckily the mask had a smile as well.

The following hour was basically sightseeing, and it would take about an hour more in order to return to the agency by Machibuse's estimates. Edgeshot lectured the student about the nuances of hero work, legal stuff, business stuff, economic stuff and also explained how things worked at the agency. Today had been an exception but Machibuse would join the training routine for the rest of the week. Edgeshot had a very intense training regiment for his eighty-eight sidekicks and he expected White Rider to not fall behind.

The duo had not spoken too much, mostly a give and take as they asked a few curiosities. White Rider asked about how Kamihara had made it so high in the rankings without making nearly as many public appearances as his peers, about the garden on top of the agency and about the more absurd rumors regarding the Ninja Hero, like how some people firmly believed that he was actually Hattori Hanzo and had around six hundred years old or how some of his fans said that he was the only hero in Japan allowed to kill without repercussions because of some imperial permit. Edgeshot had asked about Machibuse's Quirk, about his training regimen and about the life in Okinawa.

"One more question. You pack a lot of gear for someone that just joined the hero life, mind giving me a run of what is all that?" Edgeshot asked as they now entered a deserted back alley that connected two more active streets.

"Habits of the military academy. Mostly utility Sir, I pack various pills in my front pockets to give my Quirk a wider range of options to synthesize and the arrows I carry on my back are built to inject the chemicals I produce. The arrows strapped to my arm are mostly utility, like smoke bombs and rope…" White Rider explained as he reached for something that had surprised him at first when he opened his suitcase today. Hatsume had left something for him alongside a hastily scribed note describing what it was.

A small pouch, little bigger than a fanny pack, that Hatsume had added to the back of his bullet proof vest around the height of the last pair of Chelicerae, just over his hip. The thing was filled to the brim with the small caltrops that he now showed to Edgeshot.

"…this has just been added to my costume, I can fill the bag with a chemical payload and the caltrops will get coated. I have a partner in the Support Department and she decided to give me some ninja gear after I told her about your offer." he concluded with a sigh as he stored the steel spikes back in the pouch.

Edgeshot quirked and eyebrow at that.

"Why a bow?" he asked. Edgeshot had been informed that by U.A. that the student he invited had received a weapon permit without needing to go through the proficiency testing and that had him curious.

"My mother's Quirk allowed her to create spikes from her skin, she used those as arrows. I can't do such thing with my Chelicerae, but she taught me how to use a bow since I was six. Its silent and its reliable, can't ask for much more." the teen responded as the memories of his mother's somewhat rough training sessions came to mind.

Edgeshot seemed satisfied by the response.

 _*BANG*_

 _*TATATATATA*_

Both sprung forward as the sound of gunfire jolted their attention. It had come from a door beneath the street level, accessible only by a short stairway. Right on cue a pair of motorcycles rushed past them as six men ran up the stairs while trading shots with whoever was inside.

Two of them quickly jumped on the vehicles and took off carrying very large bags.

"I will deal with the runners. You have my permission to engage combat but not my permission to be wounded!" Edgeshot ordered as his body twisted into a thin strand that immediately extended towards one of the motorcycles, piercing one of the gunmen that stood behind while doing so.

"Yes Sir!" White Rider immediately drew his bow as he closed in the three that were still capable of fighting.

"SHIT WE GOT BUSTED! GET BACK INSIDE AND CALL IN REINFORCEMENTS! OPEN FIRE!" one of the men shouted as they pointed their weapons towards the masked figure that quickly approached.

White Rider gave them no time to aim, one of his arrows impacting the floor between his targets and bursting into a cloud of thick pink smoke that filled the narrow alley.

"Crafty little shit!" a voice came from within the smoke and all three soon came rushing forward from the cloud.

"Where the fuck is he?" one of the gunmen shouted as they found the alley devoid of any enemies.

An arrow struck one of the targets on the back of the hand, causing him to drop the handgun while also delivering Machibuse's standard payload, a chemical that caused a drastic drop in adrenaline production while spiking the levels of activity in the thyroid. While far from a knockdown drug it became Machibuse's standard brew simply because of how fast it acted and by the fact he did not needed to ingest anything to start the process, the target would still be active, but in as little as five seconds he would start to have the worst muscle cramps of his life. The same drug he used during the USJ.

The bowman was about three meters off the ground, White Rider had jumped on top of a dumpster and then jumped again, clinging into a wall with the hooks on his feet and upper back for long enough to fire an arrow.

He leaped towards the second target, knocking another arrow into the bow while spinning in the air.

"Up ther…" one rifleman shouted as he spotted the attacker, his cry cut short as White Rider's knee connected with his nose, a volley of bullets impacting the floor as the man pulled the trigger for a moment before losing consciousness.

The arrow flew towards the last remaining enemy immediately after that attack, striking the target in the shoulder as he whipped his arms into White Rider's direction, throwing his aim off for long enough. This one did not carry a weapon, so it was safe to assume he had some Quirk capable of causing damage.

Quickly springing to his feet after the aerial assault White Rider closed in by diving low to the pavement and delivering a rolling kick to the man's midsection with enough force to get the air out of his lungs and send him to the ground.

"Three enemies in twelve seconds without chance for counterattack and minimal collateral damage. I am impressed but I want at least two seconds shaved of that time by the end of the week. Tomorrow we will be working on your climbing technique, it's not always you can rely on something as tall as a dumpster to get you out off the floor." Edgeshot's voice came as he walked out the smoke.

"Thank you Sir!" White Rider bowed as he collapsed his bow.

"Now get inside there, you can use your Quirk to stop bleedings, correct? Two of the guys inside there have been shot but are still alive, stop them from bleeding out." Edgeshot ordered.

White Rider quickly pulled one of the bottles in his vest and swallowed a red-colored Aluminium sulfate pill that tasted terribly, well, metallic as he rushed to the crime scene.

Edgeshot had taken down four people escaping on motorcycles and returned to deal with everyone inside the fight scene in less than ten seconds, the man was an absolute monster. Machibuse was never in danger, the Ninja Hero likely didn't knock out those three just to test the student under his care and would have stepped in if things were not going well.

Edgeshot pulled his phone to call the police as he calmly walked towards the teens first target, who was painfully crawling away. A quick chop to the back of the neck promptly sent the criminal to sleep.

"This is Edgeshot, I am reporting from an alleyway near San'ei Park. Send some cars to my location, we have two wounded and one dead. Trigger deal went sour, all criminals have been incapacitated." the hero informed the police.

It took the first police car two-hundred and sixty seconds to reach their location. Just enough time for the heroes to tie the criminals up and drag all but the wounded and dead to the street, Edgeshot had knocked all the four remaining criminals inside the establishment after he stopped the runners. All arrows also were recovered, Machibuse would just need to reload the smoke bomb later on.

"At least six are yakuza, found tattoos on both the wounded and proceeded to check on those that were just unconscious. Did not check for tattoos on the one that was killed. The two that were shot have been given a dose of Aluminium sulfate to stem the bleeding, they will be stable for at least twenty more minutes but still require surgery." White Rider informed the police officer in charge of taking their report.

"The ones that opened fire and tried to run seemed like random thugs. Tried to run away with a sizeable amount of Trigger, might be worth looking into since one of them said they had reinforcements." Edgeshot added to the report.

"Very well, we will take it from here. Thank you for your work." The police officer dismissed both with a salute.

The heroes bowed and made way towards the agency. There was a small crowd waiting behind the police line asking all kinds of questions and shouting various praises.

"Sir, how do we deal with the public?" White Rider asked as the flashes from the cameras started to offend his eyes.

"We bow in respect and walk away without a word." Edgeshot responded with after a visible sigh.

"You just became my favorite hero Sir."

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Nothing like starting the week in high gear.**_

 _ **Quick question for you guys, the MHA movie just released, would you like if I were to include it in this history? It takes place in between the final exams and the training camp.**_


	18. Steps

_**We just passed a hundred follows! Holy! Seriously guys, you made my day!**_

-.

 **March 29th, Tokyo, Edgeshot Hero Agency, 0500.**

"To your feet White Rider! You have ninety minutes to eat and get ready for the day!" Edgeshot ordered as he shot the door open and turned the lights on before moving on.

Machibuse groaned a barely understandable "Yes, Sir!" as he weakly rolled of the futon he was provided. He was a morning person, yes, but fucking hell, the sun wasn't even up yet. He was having such a nice dream too, it had a nice beach in Okinawa, it had shaved ice, it had his grandmother locked in a dog transport box bound to Siberia and it had Momo in a two-piece swimsuit.

Such an innocent dream so rudely interrupted by the intricacies of Edgeshot's schedule.

Not even the Military Academy's hell of a summer camp had him to wake up this early, but a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. Machibuse took one deep breath as he rolled on his back before rising his legs and springing to his feet.

After the setting the shower to the absolute coldest he could and having his quick morning shower, Machibuse got into his costume and picked up his phone as he made way from his room for the week towards the mess hall on the first floor of Edgeshot's agency. Machibuse was given a quick tour of the agency after returning from patrol yesterday and was now recalling the layout of the building as he dragged his feet down the stairs.

The garden on the rooftop which housed Kamihara's office as well as his personal quarters. The place was somewhat off-limits even to the people that worked in the agency much to Machibuse's dismay.

Seventh floor was the main conference room, a place that saw very little use due to Edgeshot's sparse public appearances, so it was used mostly as a break room by the staff and sidekicks.

Sixth and fifth floors housed the marketing department and the agency's general management. Not counting his sidekicks, Edgeshot employed a total of forty-three people, from lawyers to marketing and even medical staff. Most of Machibuse's first evening in the agency was spent in these two floors as he was required to go through a quick medical check-up, that resulted in some pretty incredulous faces from the health personnel when Machibuse told them that he had never been ill in his life, and a surprisingly lengthy process with the guys from public relations that were in charge of setting up a profile for his hero identity on social media. Apparently Machibuse was the only first-year student to be employed by the Ninja Hero since Edgeshot first rose to Japan's top ten about six years ago and that got Edgeshot's fanbase going absolutely crazy since White Rider's first patrol. There were already wacky theories regarding the connection between the aspiring hero and Kamihara going around.

Fourth floor was the workshop where the support staff handled small costume repairs and paperwork regarding hero gear. While not a full development studio the place was pretty well fitted for small scale projects, while the bigger ones were outsourced to specialized support companies.

Floors three and two were the sidekick's dorms, only about a third of the sidekicks actually lived there though, mostly those who came from outside Tokyo and needed a cheap hotel. Sidekicks were expected to move out from the dorms within a couple months of being hired as to keep the rooms open to new recruits

And the first floor was the mess hall and kitchen, Machibuse had dinned there yesterday. Good curry, it was hard to beat Lunch Rush but whoever piloted that stove was giving the chef at U.A. some real competition.

Machibuse had spent very little time down at the ground level due to the constant presence of the media trying to get a peek at Japan's number five and now his pupil. Still, the two receptionists, dubbed as "The Mazekeepers" by the media, were by far two of the most entertaining people Machibuse had ever seen. He had no clue of how they pulled that act off, but it was fucking amazing.

Beyond that Machibuse had been shown two of the three underground floors very briefly, since they would be the focus of his second day. Skipping the garage because there wasn't really anything out of the ordinary there, was Edgeshot's training facility, a place that according to the Ninja Hero, Machibuse would come to get very familiar with over the next few days. And, finally, the last floor of the agency was, according to Edgeshot, the most important in the building. The agency's central intelligence hub, stacked with computers, screens displaying the camera feeds of various points across Tokyo, holographic maps, communication hubs where people directed sidekicks across the city… it was a sight straight from a spaceship.

The smell of breakfast pulled Machibuse back to reality, he had arrived at the mess hall with just over thirty-six hundred seconds to eat. Rice, furikake and a pair of soft-boiled eggs to get things going. Some two cups of apple juice to wash everything down and he was set to go.

Now just to find a seat…

"Hey! Come on here kid!" one of the sidekicks called out as he spotted the newbie scanning the tables.

Machibuse gave a small shrug as he accepted the offer.

"Protocol: White Rider, the man of the hour! Name is Eyebite and this one here is Catapult, been sidekicks here for about a year." the man, dressed in what looked like cultists robe from some horror movie, introduced himself and the other man by his side, who wore an armor dotted with various gears and cranks.

"Glad to make your acquaintance." the newbie took one of the vacant seats, pulling his mask down as he promptly took to eating his meal.

"Heard your debut went hot, there is quite some talk about you on the internet." Eyebite spoke with some enthusiasm.

Machibuse quirked an eyebrow at that, lowering his bowl before fishing his cellphone from his pocket. He actually had not given the device much attention since arriving at the agency, his morning had been mostly taken by going over the school paperwork in Edgeshot's office and unpacking his stuff once he arrived at his room. After that was lunch and then daytime patrol and by the time he finished with the public relations stuff he was to leave with Edgeshot for nighttime patrol. He just kind of dropped asleep after that.

His eyes went as wide as tennis balls once he noticed the sheer amount of notifications; over seventy just from his classmates, Ashido, Kirishima, Tsuyu, Jiro and Sero all messaged him the same link of some footage of his fight yesterday that went mildly popular. Apparently someone that lived in the apartments that faced the alleyway had filmed everything after the initial gunfire. The footage was somewhat blurry and shaky, but that was definitely him jumping from the wall into the confused gunman.

Machibuse then made the mistake of checking on the profile set up for him. Not a second after logging-in he turned the cellphone's screen of. He was not going to deal with that mess on an empty stomach.

"That's the hero life for you… and you didn't even see the Edgeshot Forums yet." Eyebite mused as he realized how the newbie was in shock.

White Rider picked his bowl once more with a shaky hand as he took a deep breath.

"I have made a terrible mistake."

-.

 **March 29th, Tokyo, Edgeshot Hero Agency, 0758.**

Two arrows came flying in a single shot, one aimed at Edgeshot's head and the second at his hips.

He caught both with one hand in a single movement.

The man was absolutely unreal.

There was no other way to put it.

"So, how long have those two been at this?" one sidekick asked as he approached the scene.

"About an hour… he might not have gotten any closer, but the kid sure has spunk." another voice in the crowd replied.

A heel came crashing down only to be effortlessly guided to the side, the attacker instantly took to continuing his attempts as he rose with an elbow the second his feet touched the tatami.

Mindlessly blocked and pushed back.

It was very simple, Edgeshot drew a circle about as large as a manhole on the tatami and his student had to simply get him to move outside the boundaries. Kamihara would not use his Quirk, would not counterattack and he had allowed White Rider to use everything in his arsenal.

Thirty-four hundred and eighty-six seconds had passed precisely. And White Rider was still at the very same step he began the exercise. Not only he failed at pushing his instructor outside the circle, he had failed to get him to even step from his original position. Edgeshot had jumped over one low sweep earlier only to land at the exact same spot. Hell, Machibuse dragged some of the benches and other mobilia to the mat in order to create a more suitable fighting space and the only good that did was some mix of praise and flak. Edgeshot admitted that his student was ingenious to create a better environment but firmly stated that he was too reliant on that aspect of his fighting style for his own good.

Regardless, the set up was there already so White Rider used it to his advantage, he circled around the obstacles, running low to the ground as usual as to escape from his target's view.

He shot an arrow through a gap in the benches as he leaped towards another part of the environment he built.

"You make an awful lot of noise for someone trained by the Special Ops." Edgeshot spoke as he caught the arrow in between his index and middle fingers. His other arm extending to intercept the flying kick coming at the back of his head.

Edgeshot grasped White Rider's ankle firmly, he was about to bend down to throw the assailant away like he had done countless times during this exercise…

" _Hey, troll bait!"_

Edgeshot's attention waved for a fraction of a moment, the Speaker Arrow in his hand was something unexpected.

White Rider pulled his trapped leg in, shifting his momentum to the side. The Chelicerae in his palm were closing in on the target's lower back.

So close…

"Not good enough." Edgeshot stated as he adapted to the movement and flipped White Rider over his shoulder, a loud thump pushing the air out of the teen's lungs as his back impacted the tatami.

"One hour will suffice for now. Get twenty minutes of rest and we will continue with your training after you move all the furniture back." the Ninja Hero stepped away, leaving his student splayed out on the tatami.

"Don't get discouraged. You made me move three inches to the right with that last move, that's plenty for your first attempt." he added as he looked back for a moment.

"Yes, Sir!" White Rider responded tiredly, still on the floor. The boss had allowed him twenty minutes to rest, so he wouldn't waste a second moving around, the tatami was comfortable enough.

He picked his cellphone from inside a heavily padded pocket in his vest and let out a heavy sigh as he braced to deal with the surge of notifications that steadily piled up since he made the mistake of logging-in his hero profile.

There was a message from Momo. There was no denying that he found weird that amongst all the people in his class she had been one to not message him earlier… Hell, even Koda messaged him asking if he was ok, and he had heard Koda speaking like fifty words in the whole month.

The message was pretty recent too, less than ten minutes. Hakuba messaged her back to see if she was busy. Apparently not.

He pulled his mask to his chin and called.

"Morning ma'am…" Hakuba panted as she picked up.

" _Morni… What is happening there!? Last time I heard you panting on the phone like this it was because you passed out!"_ Momo panicked.

"Edgeshot happened…" Hakuba explained vaguely as he calmed down his breathing.

" _Its eight in the morning!"_ Momo protested, she had just finished breakfast.

" _Yaoyorozu-san… did something happened to your boyfriend?"_ another worried voice came through the call.

" _Kendo-san, he is not my boyfriend."_ Momo responded somewhat unamused. If he recalled correctly Kendo was class 1-B's president, apparently there were pros who drafted more than one student.

" _So what was that I saw in the corridor between your classroom and mine?"_ Kendo questioned in a very teasing tone. Hakuba could tell that Momo was in shock and he could bet that her face was about the same color of a chilli.

They had been busted.

" _It was just me some of the other girls from my class… we haven't told anybody. Anyway, I'm going to get dressed, who knows if we get to do some hero work today."_ Kendo's voice got further as she spoke, but that didn't stop Hakuba from feeling some irony in her tone.

They both just were silent for a while, weighting the consequences of what just happened.

"So… how are things on your end ma'am?" Hakuba broke the awkward silence.

Momo took a moment to respond.

" _Not exactly what I was expecting to be honest… Uwabami apparently drafted me just because she thought I was pretty, and she needed people for a commercial."_ Momo admitted with some grief in her voice.

"I can't really disagree with her, ma'am." Hakuba quipped, some color surging to his face.

" _S-shut up!"_ Momo stuttered in embarrassment.

"Still, it's fame is something we are going to have to deal with if we are aiming to be heroes, and I assure you that Edgeshot is not going to give me any PR training, so it's not like you are wasting your time." Hakuba spoke, he could see Edgeshot approaching with a quirked eyebrow.

" _You are getting better at these talks, you know…"_ Momo mused.

"Got to show you some progress ma'am, otherwise you might lose interest." Hakuba joked as he got on his feet.

" _Idiot."_ Momo gave a hearty laugh.

"Either way ma'am, I need to get going, my break ends in thirty seconds. The week is just beginning, I am sure you will get much more mileage out of it than it seems." Hakuba assured.

" _I hope so… Thank you Hakuba, guess I needed that."_ Momo spoke as she hung up.

"Want some PR training, White Rider? We can get that on your schedule." Edgeshot asked as his student stored away the cellphone.

"I can assure you that I took yesterday's lesion about dealing with the public to heart, Sir." White Rider admitted, his face still sporting a small smile as he pulled the surgery mask back over his mouth.

Momo's laughter messed with him a lot, he felt silly.

"Yesterday you told me that a promise kept you from giving in to your doubts. You were speaking with the person you made that promise to, am I right?" Edgeshot asked.

His student only gave a sincere nod in response.

"Very well, then keep that motivation. I will do my best to prepare you to keep your promise. Move the furniture back into place and meet me in the garden floor." Edgeshot ordered as he turned towards the elevator, his voice carrying the faintest signs of amusement.

"Yes, Sir!"

-.

 **March 29th, Tokyo, Edgeshot Hero Agency, 1030.**

Silence.

The trees rustled in the wind, the fish splashed the water and the sounds of the city echoed from beyond the walls.

Yet there was silence.

"Attention to how you shift your weight. Remember to transfer the pressure from your little toe to the big toe before setting your foot down in circular motion. This applies to both walking and jumping." Edgeshot spoke as he continued to fill in a stack of forms while sitting on the stairway to his quarters.

His pen lifted as he focused on listening. Ten seconds… twenty seconds…

"Good. Keep it like that. You walk like this from now on unless I order you to stop, so internalize this movement. After lunch we will head out on patrol and I don't want to hear your feet touching the ground. And do it so that you don't look out of place while walking, make it look natural." Edgeshot said as he resumed his paperwork.

There was no response. He had already scolded White Rider twice before for responding loudly during stealth training.

"I should be done with these in about sixty minutes, do laps around the garden in the meantime, the more the better as it will help you to eventually learn how to run like this. I am aware that I am asking you to learn how to walk again, but I would not waste my time if I didn't think you had potential." he added.

Time went on without much happening. Edgeshot would occasionally warn his student about mistakes he was making and how to correct them. It didn't escape Edgeshot how White Rider was slowly adapting to use his Chelicerae in his movements, being as extra support points on his steps or as extra grip when he needed to jump or give a longer step. White Rider had made one and a half lap in forty minutes and he was slowly but steadily moving faster, maybe he would make the second lap by the end of the hour.

"Today's schedule will be a little different. I will teach you how to climb properly with the tools you have once we return from daytime patrol and them we will go over some hand-to-hand combat. I will have a meeting with the police later on, so there is the possibility of skipping the nighttime patrol today. If that's the case you will either attend the meeting with me or have a run with the intelligence department, so they can explain you a few procedures." Edgeshot explained as he started to verify the stack of paper.

"Relax your back, it may seem easier to move like that, but it will start to get painful on the long run." he commented without even everting his eyes from the revision he was doing.

The last few minutes went by without issue, Kamihara was pleased with the teen under his tutelage. Machibuse didn't managed to complete the second lap but would have done so if given a few minutes more.

Machibuse had the discipline and mentality to move like that but relied too much on sheer survival instinct and that caused issues when pushed. He just lacked a technique to focus his training on and now it was just a matter of time and practice.

"Anything else Sir?" White Rider asked as he made his way towards the stairway, making every step as calculated as possible.

"Just deliver these to the agency management on your way down. You are excused until we leave for patrol but keep your walk like that." Edgeshot informed as he handed his student the paperwork.

White Rider just nodded as he adjusted the package and turned to leave.

He took a deep breath before turning back to Edgeshot.

"Sir, I have a question." Machibuse spoke as his façade wavered slightly.

Edgeshot gave him full attention.

"Earlier today you commented about the Special Ops, yet I don't remember informing you about my training there. How do you know?" Machibuse asked.

For the first time Edgeshot took some time to respond.

"Normally I would have been sent your school file alongside the response to my invitation for you to come here. Instead I have been sent a non-disclosure agreement to sign. Two forms, one would be sent back to U.A. and the other to the Ministry of Defense. I was likely only given an answer as to why because of my status as number five, Principal Nezu likely talked the Ministry into accepting the terms so his student would not miss on the opportunity because of bureaucracy." Kamihara answered.

His student was visibly distressed by that.

"I was not given the full explanation, but rest assured that what I know will be kept under secret… If anything I can see that you are trying to leave that night behind and I am glad to be part of that process. You are a good kid and what happened there was not your fault." he added, for the first time dropping his serious act, his tone almost fatherly.

Machibuse swallowed, his shoulders shivering slightly as he took a deep breath. He had locked himself behind a shut door to the point that running and hiding totaled his existence and now he had finally begun breaking the chain.

Somehow he felt the weight on his shoulders getting lighter. It had been the first time in a while since he had that sensation. The other side of the door couldn't be worse than the one he was.

"Thank you, Kamihara-san."

-.

 **March 29th, Tokyo, Edgeshot Hero Agency, 1900.**

To say that Edgeshots training regiment was rough was a heavy understatement. And since the Ninja Hero was personally in charge of his training it just got worse. Machibuse had met with the tatami more times in the last five hours than he could actually count.

Daytime patrol was mostly uneventful besides of the ocasional warnings White Rider received about his footing. The only serious occurrence in the area today had been a hostage scenario that was already being dealt with by another hero, so Edgeshot and White Rider just stood as backup if things took a turn for the worse. Oddly enough Jiro, or rather Earphone Jack, had been the one to come out of the building with the hostages. The two classmates got some time to chat while the situation was put under control by Death Arms, but that was cut relatively short as police stepped in to perform the arrests, prompting Edgeshot and White Rider to continue patrol.

It was good to see that he was not the only one in class 1-A that would end up in the news by the end of the week, that was a burden better shared.

After returning there was no break to rest, since, according to Edgeshot, there was no need to rest after that patrol. What follower were three hours of climbing training, and not of the regular kind. Edgeshot decided that since his student was born with what effectively amounted to climbing gear they would kick things up a notch after the basic technique was firmly rooted; White Rider was to try to run on the walls. For two whole hours. Without relaxing on his new walking posture.

It was pretty much hell... Even if he looked cool while doing it.

Until Edgeshot decided that it was time for hand-to-hand practice.

Then it was actually hell.

Normally Machibuse would practice against one of the sidekicks, and he actually did for the first hour. Sure, some of the more close-combat oriented fighters gave him a hard time, but he managed to hold his own.

Then Edgeshot decided to step in.

Hell was just a happy memory after the first minute of "fighting".

It was an absolute beatdown and Machibuse could tell that Edgeshot was barely trying. Luckily it soon turned to a crash course rather than actual sparring. Edgeshot himself admitted that there was not much use into hammering his technique into the student since the unusual fighting style White Rider used, a "very primal variety of drunken fist" as defined by one of the sidekicks, was something that came naturally to the teen as a means to use his Quirk. It would be much more efficient to improve upon that already solid foundation than starting something from scratch.

If anything, Edgeshot gave his student a long run on the basics as to start to iron out some bad habits acquired over the years, but true improvement would be something that Machibuse would need to work out on his own.

That went on for about thirty minutes before Edgeshot drew a circle on the tatami and posed the same challenge from this morning. No moving the furniture around this time.

White Rider almost landed a hit with the Chelicerae this time, but his greatest accomplishment was to force Edgeshot to move both feet by dropping some caltrops within the circle after tricking Edgeshot into jumping to avoid a low sweep.

Normally by now they would have left for patrol already, but police would arrive soon. Machibuse took a moment to get out of his costume, take a quick shower and get into civil clothing. He mostly wanted an excuse to get cold water on his legs, that walking he was put to practice was hurting like hell. He had trained the whole day and the costume needed to have a talk with the washing machine. His day was pretty much over so it hardly mattered if he was in costume or not.

He was informed to head out to the garden.

"Machibuse-san, what a coincidence!" a familiar voice called out as he stepped out of the elevator.

"Detective Tsukauchi, been a while." Machibuse greeted the officer with a sharp bow.

Edgeshot gave the duo a curious look.

"Machibuse-san was the one to give me the report of the USJ incident earlier this month, can't deny I was surprised to see his name into yesterday's report." Tsukauchi explained.

"Anything new regarding that Trigger deal?" Edgeshot asked as he motioned for the three of them to enter his office.

"We are still questioning the criminals you two apprehended yesterday, but I am positive it is something worth digging into. I will give you the details inside, but I am afraid I can't share them with a high-school student." Tsukauchi gave a sheepish smile.

Machibuse stared at the detective blankly for a moment.

"Even if you are working under me there are somethings you still are not allowed to do. Head down to the intelligence department, tell them I sent you for response training. I asked them to work something for you to do in case this happened. We start tomorrow the same time we did today, so make sure to get some rest after you are done." Edgeshot ordered as he dismissed the student.

"Understood, Sir!" Machibuse responded as he bowed in respect and headed back towards the elevator.

"Footing!" Edgeshot called out, prompting the teen to stop for a moment before resuming his walk with much more care in each step.

Both adults entered the office.

"What you don't want him to hear, Detective?" Edgeshot asked as he closed the door behind them. It was just a response to a report, there was no reason for Machibuse to be dismissed like that.

Tsukauchi took a deep breath, his smile had dropped the moment Machibuse had left.

"How much do you know about him?"

…

..

.

 _ **AN: So, some more layers to the puzzle, yes?**_

 _ **Regardless, been a while since we got a day without any major problems, I kinda like writing idle days like this every once in a while. It is fun to think that while Izuku is creating his Full Cowling young Hakuba is getting less dumb at walking.**_

 _ **I plan on doing these day-off chapters every so often once we reach parts of the history with larger time skips, like before the final exams and such, so if you want to see this mess of a protagonist just hanging out with someone like Nezu or Kaminari feel free to leave a suggestion in the reviews of in private. Who knows if I might get inspired.**_


	19. Cloak and Daggers

**March 30th, Tokyo, Edgeshot Hero Agency, 0900.**

True to his warning yesterday, Kamihara came to wake Machibuse precisely at 0500, but this time he found the teen's room empty. A paper note on top of the futon gave away that Machibuse would get things started earlier; his goal for today was to get Edgeshot out of that circle. By 0600 they had already begun the exercise, but this time it wasn't a slugfest like the last two times... White Rider was clearly studying his opponent's every move as he tested the waters, taking notes on every reaction as he tried to find patterns and weak points to exploit. The hour went by without much of a fight, White Rider only taking to invest more on his attacks by the last few minutes to put somethings to test.

Hand-to-hand training versus the sidekicks proved to Edgeshot that he made the right choice in not pushing the teen from his fighting style. This time, instead of fighting in tatami, the spars happened in a closed arena akin to a wrestling ring and even the pros who overpowered White Rider yesterday were having a hard time dealing with the insane increase in maneuverability he gained in that enclosed space.

The elastic cable was giving the teen enough of a boost for him to reach the celling, which he used to springboard down into his opponents to catch them by surprise. Poor Eyebite didn't even had time to react when he spotted the newbie coming straight down on his shoulders.

White Rider actually _ran_ on the ceiling once using his Chelicerae.

That got some praise from the Ninja Hero despite the fighters being barred from using their Quirks.

At this point in time Machibuse was the one actually training the less experienced ones in close combat, so Kamihara decided that it was time to change things up, calling his student to the tatami.

"We fight in very different styles, you move erratically to create openings while I waste no movement to abuse openings already there… but there is something I can pass on to you without forcing you to adapt. I have observed that you prioritize striking with your palms and soles to make use of your Quirk, but you also have Chelicerae on ideal places for grappling. It is not one aspect of combat I can boast mastery of as the nature of my Foldabody makes so that I can simply wrap around someone to subdue them, but I can show you the ropes." Edgeshot explained as he assumed his fighting stance and motioned for his student to mimic him.

"How much experience do you have in this kind of fight?" he asked as White Rider took the stance.

"I am afraid not much, Sir. I have been trained to disarm most types of handheld weaponry and to perform different takedown techniques, but grappling is something I never pursued too deeply. It doesn't sit well with my mostly hit-and-run combat." White Rider responded.

"Very well. I will teach you the basics over the next ninety minutes, try to think how you can use this to advance on your own style. We will follow that with thirty minutes of free practice before having another go at the circle, if you succeed this time we will skip daytime patrol to focus on your climbing after lunch. You were clearly strategizing back there, and I want to see what you can come up with." Edgeshot explained.

"Yes, Sir!" White Rider responded.

"Nighttime patrol will be in Hosu if you can get me to move out of that circle. Intel has brought something to my attention."

-.

 **March 30th, Unknown Location, 1015.**

"Are you sure about the inheritance?" the one sitting by the side asked.

"There are too many coincidences. But we shouldn't move now even if he has the key, the risk is too big." responded the one standing by the doorway.

"Others might make the connection if we take too long. That is a lot of money up for grabs." the first one pointed out.

"U.A. will keep him safe and nurture his growth. We need to focus on what we have at hand now." the last person in the room decided. In his hand there were two photos.

One of Machibuse Hakuba, the other of his hero identity.

-.

 **March 30th, Tokyo, Edgeshot Hero Agency, 1145.**

"You have fifteen minutes left and I am still at the very same spot I started in. I suggest you stop stalling." Edgshot warned as he deflected White Rider's knee to the side.

"I am not stalling, Sir. My plan is already in motion and I just need you to take the bait." White Rider responded nonchalantly as he dove for another attack that felt more like a prod for openings than anything.

This prompted Edgeshot to quickly scan the surroundings. He also made a point to count the arrows strapped to his students arm. Over the last few days Kamihara had seen how the introduction Machibuse received as he made way to his first fight in the Sports Festival was on point: _"F_ _ast on his feet, quick on his wits and cheap on his tactics."_ as Present Mic had put.

White Rider had opened the exercise by firing a smoke bomb and following it by deploying the two wire loaded arrows creating two tightwires that led to the celling, but none of the wires crossed the circle Edgeshot was in. He had used those sparingly as the neither the tatami and the ceiling panels weren't the best anchors to the tightwire but used them enough, so they couldn't be discarded. The teen had also deployed caltrops early on during the exercise, mostly around and in the circle, but some got kicked around so there were steel spikes all over the place by now.

Whatever plan White Rider had come up with was surely well hidden.

The student closed in once more, both hands in position to strike.

Both fighters traded blows quickly, Edgeshot swatting White Rider's hands to the side by hitting his wrists before jumping over a leg that came spinning as White Rider crouched in a low swipe carefully aimed to go just above the caltrops.

White Rider jumped towards the ninja, bending his outstretched leg as to add momentum to his spin as he closed in and attempted to grab Edgeshot by the collar.

Edgeshot quickly levered himself on the teen, closely vaulting over the assailant before landing within the circle.

White Rider was a quick study, he had already begun employing some of the basic techniques he just learned about grappling without breaking the flow of his movements by much. Given a month or two of training he likely would have succeeded in initiating the grapple and ended the exercise there. His set up was on point and the timing was rather precise, but the lack of experience made so that he couldn't envision the counter and plan accordingly.

White Rider planted his hands in between the caltrops and cartwheeled forward as to land in an area clear of traps. His fight against Momo showed him that those things were a problem for his fighting, so he trained to avoid them. It didn't cross his mind that he would be the one throwing caltrops around a few weeks after that, but Hatsume's surprise addition to his gear made the training very much worthy.

He dashed in once more. Time was ticking. Seven hundred and twenty seconds left.

Feet and Chelicerae danced around the spikes as he approached, quickly unfolding his bow and firing the second smoke bomb towards de ceiling, he knew that Edgeshot would catch the projectile mid-air otherwise. Thick pink some once more filled the fighting area much to the spectators dismay. The cover would disperse in about a minute according to what was tested earlier.

It was time.

Edgeshot allowed himself a small grin underneath his mask as he realized how much progress his student had made, there was barely a sound as White Rider ran around in the smoke. The pro had to rely on watching the fluctuations in the smoke to track the teen. Machibuse's spatial awareness was also off the charts, he likely had memorized where the caltrops were and was able to avoid them even amidst the smoke.

Arrows came from Edgeshot's sides as White Rider ran around clockwise. One arrow suddenly broke the pattern, the teen had changed his trajectory.

Stopped as usual.

Instants later White Rider came swinging his bow at Edgeshot's back, he had resumed the clockwise run after the last arrow. His deceptive strike had been layered multiple times over but Edgeshot managed to weave bellow the attack.

White Rider jumped forward as the smoke dispersed, landing firmly into the tightwire as he knocked another arrow in his bow.

Another jump as he crossed over Edgeshot and fired from above.

Edgeshot simply swatted the arrow away this time.

White Rider landed on the second tightwire and prepared to dive in.

Edgeshot's eyes widened as he realized that his student was drawing the bow loaded with the one utility arrow he had not seen in action yet.

This was the opening.

Edgeshot prepared, either his student would fire the arrow, or he would dive to strike at close distance. Possibly both. It was an impressive set up.

The sidekicks watching the exercise now could see clearly, tension was palpable.

White Rider leaped.

The tightwire gave in as the plaster above cracked.

The teen was now falling towards the dozens of caltrops bellow.

White Rider visibly panicked as he failed to reach for the hole on the ceiling to keep himself from falling.

Time passed slowly as some of the sidekicks rushed in expecting the worse.

Edgeshot dove towards the impending tragedy, barely managing to push the student far enough from the spikes as his body twisted to avoid the caltrops in his landing area.

The studend rolled numbly as they impacted the tatami. Edgeshot quickly rushing back to his feet to see if he was okay.

White Rider took longer than expected to respond. Everyone was now worried.

He gave a hearty laugh.

"Operation was a success. You are out of the circle, Sir."

-.

 **March 30th, Tokyo, Edgeshot Hero Agency, 1450.**

"Footing!" Edgeshot called out sternly, causing his student to stumble on his own feet as he rushed to adjust.

Doing that while fifteen feet off the ground trying to run up a wall was not the best call.

White Rider once more met the tatami. Luckily for him, falling was something he was very used to due to his life's training, rolling on his shoulder just as he impacted the floor to lessen the damage to a minimum was basically a reflex. That stung a little, but he had fallen from higher places.

Machibuse just sat on the floor for a while.

"I suppose you are not going to break my falls, Sir." he spoke with a rather serious voice that betrayed the joke.

"Maybe if I don't you will learn something." Kamihara responded as he offered a hand to his student.

"Get some rest for now. We leave to Hosu in two hours." he added while pulling Machibuse to his feet.

"Sir, what intel did you receive to take this decision?" Machibuse asked as he pulled his mask down to his chin.

"The Flame Hero Endeavor has been patrolling the Hosu area since Monday… Endeavor is a very good detective and is very likely he is after the Hero Killer. Stain is a very illusive criminal but having the number two in his vicinity will surely provoke him to act." Kamihara explained.

"We will provide Endeavor support?" Machibuse asked as they both made way towards the elevator.

"Endeavor is not one interested in teamwork. We will keep an eye on him but will avoid making our presence known. You can be sure that it will be easy to find him if he engages combat." Kamihara answered.

"Understood, Sir." the teen agreed.

Moments later the elevator stopped and Machibuse excused himself with a deep bow. Seventy-two hundred seconds to rest.

Machibuse was already taking off his costume as he approached the door to his room, barely remembering to pick his phone from the pocket before getting dressed and making a stop by the guys at support mostly to get his costume clean and to reload the smoke bombs.

Fifteen minutes of cold shower after that and he promptly nested himself into the futon.

He inspected his phone for a moment, the padded pocket was a good idea, but it would be a good idea to get a sturdier case for the device. A waste of Hatsume's time and talent, but it would be free if he told her that she could brand the case with her crosshairs.

Machibuse then proceeded to check on whatever messages he received. He had turned off the notifications from his hero profile, Edgeshot's hardcore fanbase was just fucking insane… Machibuse had pondered about following Kamihara's method and just ignore everything, but instead he decided to just answer one or two messages every so often and be as vague as possible with the response. The result was way more entertaining.

He still didn't dare venturing into the chaotic abyss that were the Edgeshot Forums.

Momo apparently was busy as she didn't reply when messaged. Well, it was the middle of the day, she likely was out on patrol or something.

Machibuse then resumed just scrolling mindlessly on his cellphone for a moment before setting his alarm and falling asleep. Huddling in the blanked as he yawned Machibuse thanked his ability to get sleeping quickly.

An hour of shut eye would make patrol that much easier, and he felt that today he would need every bit of energy.

-.

 **March 30th, Tokyo, Hosu City, 1815.**

Hosu was one hell of a noisy place.

It was almost like the place was on fire and being attacked by bioengineered monsters.

Actually that was the current scenario.

White Rider and Edgeshot had arrived in Hosu about forty-five minutes ago. The sun was setting underneath the skyline as they took to patrolling from the top of the buildings, jumping from one edifice to the next rather than going down to the street level where they spotted Endeavor and Shouto walking in their own patrol alongside what Machibuse assumed to be some of Endeavour's sidekicks. All that climbing training was coming handy as White Rider barely had to slow down when moving between the buildings, Edgeshot was keeping an eye out just in case his student slipped or something, but he kept pace just fine.

The first explosion happened less than five minutes ago.

The duo was quick to rush towards the scene, but something called their attention.

Two men, on top of a water tank on a building about forty meters from their current position.

White Rider was the one to stop to hide and tell Edgeshot to do the same. He quickly pulled his cellphone to take a picture.

"Those two…" Edgeshot began.

"Shigaraki Tomura and Kurogiri… The League of Villains." White Rider stated as he took a picture before using the zoom on his cellphone to inspect the villains.

"Shigaraki seems wounded, Sir. How do we proceed?" he added as he took more photos.

"Kurogiri is the one capable of warping, that makes him the priority target. I will move in closer to knock him out, another fifteen meters will get me in range for a guaranteed hit. Get their attention with that Speaker Arrow of yours once I am in position." Edgeshot explained as his body flattened between the pipes they were using as cover.

Edgeshot was about halfway through when the sound of one of the many helicopters passing by made the villains react, this one had come too close. Kurogiri opened a portal and from it sprung a four-armed aberration with an exposed brain and skin painted jet black.

The monster immediately jumped at the helicopter forcing Edgeshot to intercept and reveal himself.

"Ahh… that's one big fish…" Shigaraki mused as he spotted the Ninja Hero fighting his Nomu.

White Rider quickly drew his bow and fired a Delivery Arrow carrying an especially nasty load of standard payload at Kurogiri. There was no need to hold back too much against the League.

" _Payload delivered."_ White Rider thought as he dashed away from his hiding spot to find somewhere else to hide.

"Get us out of here… we can watch from somewhere else." Shigaraki ordered and a portal immediately enveloped him. Kurogiri was visibly shaking as he vanished.

"We lost them, Sir!" White Rider shouted as he rushed towards the fight happening in the nearby rooftop just in time to see Edgeshot slicing both of the Nomu's legs in a single swipe.

"You connected with that shot! What you had in that arrow?" Edgeshot asked as he leaped away from the monster whose legs were quickly growing back.

"The same drug I used against the thugs in the alleyway, Sir! Got the concentration up, he may pass out from the pain, but I think that is unlikely! Still, he will have a lot of trouble moving for the next ten to fifteen minutes, Sir!" White Rider informed as he aimed another arrow, now at the Nomu.

"Don't! It is focused on me! Disengage and contact the police! They need this info!" Edgeshot ordered, dodging the flurry of punches flying his way as his body twisted into a strand.

"Yes, Sir!" White Rider followed the order, jumping down in between to buildings as to make the call from a place where he would not be reached easily, his Chelicerae providing enough grip for him to hang unseen.

He could hear the struggle going for about another twenty or so seconds before a strand snaked to his position and Edgeshot's head formed from it.

"Police lines are a mess, Sir. Can't get through." White Rider informed as he made his way back to the rooftop.

"I thought so. Send me the pictures, I will contact the agency and look for the two that escaped. This monster should be knocked out for a while but keep an eye on him. Inform me immediately if you need to move." Edgeshot spoke as he quickly picked up his own phone.

White Rider gave a quick nod as he photographed the subdued Nomu and messaged all the findings to his boss.

Edgeshot quickly informed the agency's intelligence department, as they had special priority to contact the police, and made haste to scout the area; Shigaraki intended to watch the chaos so he would likely be nearby, and the villain's escape had been tampered by the chemicals that were injected in Kurogiri.

White Rider was left alone with the unconscious Nomu that was left stretched on its stomach. The air was heavy across the city and he could hear people crying for help, but he had been ordered to stand guard.

He was actually sitting on top of the subdued beast's shoulders out of spite for being forced to stay behind, pondering if taking a selfie with the damn thing would be too much. Machibuse understood why he had been asked to not follow, not only Edgeshot could cover much more distance alone but if he managed to find Shigaraki the battle would go without less risk. Even if acting under Edgeshot's orders, he was still a first-year student without a license to use his Quirk in combat, and Shigaraki would not hesitate to attack and kill someone from U.A. on sight.

Still, battle raged on the streets below and he was stuck watching that goofy looking abomination slumbering.

Took about two minutes before he spotted a police helicopter heading his way, likely to take care of the Nomu. It was still pretty far away however. And he would still be left waiting for Edgeshot to return even with the monster out of his care.

" _Ah fuck it, might as well do it even if I never share the picture."_ Machibuse's discipline waved. Boredom had won, he quickly set a timer on his phone's camera as he placed the device against a wall.

Hakuba crouched on top of the Nomu's shoulders, now with his bow in hand. He also made sure to have the crosshairs Hatsume painted on the back of his right glove clearly visible. The engineer just asked for some good publicity in exchange for her services, and, if both the police and Edgeshot agreed with the picture being shared, she would get one hell of a marketing picture.

At times like these he remembered that he was fifteen. Having a normal life sure looked easier than what he went through on a daily basis…

The picture was good enough for such a rush job, and he would not go through the trouble of taking another one.

Machibuse was about to store his cellphone for good when a message came.

" _Midoriya?"_ he quirked an eyebrow as he opened the message. It was just his location, an alley in Hosu about two minutes from where Machibuse currently was… the message was sent to everyone in class 1-A.

" _Why is he here in Hosu? I thought he was in the Yamanachi…"_ Machibuse ran the possibilities on his mind as he mindlessly signaled for the incoming police helicopter

" _As far as I know Iida is the only one of our class here in Hosu… SHIT!"_ Machibuse panicked as the realization came to his mind, the Hero Killer attacked in alleyways like the one Midoriya was in right now according to what Tensei had told him. His whole body was tense as the first policemen made it to the rooftop. He took to immediately rushing down to the street level once the Nomu was not his trouble anymore, using his Chelicerae to slow the descent alongside the brick wall as he called Edgeshot.

"Sir, police has arrived and the Nomu is under their watch now. I am sending you a coordinate; the Hero Killer is likely there!" White Rider informed as he ran.

" _I am on my way. Do not engage, White Rider. I repeat, do not engage."_ Edgeshot ordered.

"I am afraid I might have no choice, Sir." the student replied as he hung up and stored the phone. He immediately prepared his bow and his will for the worse.

The alleyway was getting closer, Machibuse had a bad feeling about what was to come next.

"Machibuse-san!" a voice came from behind.

"Shouto, you know what Deku meant by that message?" White Rider stopped for a moment, so his classmate could catch up. He hoped that Todoroki had an explanation better than his for the sudden message.

"It's Midoriya, of course it is trouble." Todoroki answered as they now both ran side by side.

Less than a minute later were about to turn the corner.

Both were in silence for a moment, White Rider deciding to take off the ground jumped to the wall and ran diagonally.

He knew that it was going to be bad, but that was a whole new level.

Iida, Midoriya and a third costumed figure were on the floor. Walking between them stood a man draped in a blood-red scarf. He moved menacingly as he prepared to swing a jagged sword down on Iida's neck.

Hero Killer: Stain.

Todoroki quickly blasted the villain away from his fallen classmate with both fire and ice.

Stain backstepped.

"One after another huh…" Stain mused as an arrow flew towards him.

He intercepted it by throwing a knife with pin-point accuracy.

His crazed eyes squinted.

"Ahh… the mask! The leech!" the villain studied his new opponents. The masked one receiving a piercing glare.

Stain poised to strike.

"ANOTHER SACRIFICE HAS ARRIVED!"

Machibuse knew those eyes. The enemy was not only a murderer; he was a predator.

And they were prey.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Ah Stain, what a lovely fellow. Like him a lot actually, his whole aesthetic and character arc are amazing, read My Hero Academia: Illegals if you haven't done so, seriously. His Bloodcurdle is also one of the coolest Quirks in my opinion, although Yaoyorozu's Creation and Gentle's Elasticity are still my first and second top picks respectively... Utility Schmutility.**_

 _ **Don't mind the shady figures discussing… It's nothing, really.**_


	20. Recognition

**March 30th, Tokyo, Hosu City, 1830.**

"Todoriki, Machibuse… you too?" Iida spoke painfully.

"But how'd you two…" Midoriya was shocked.

""How"? That's my line. Took me a few seconds to figure it out… that group text to everyone with nothing but your location. Doing something like that out of the blue isn't your style, so I assumed you were in trouble." Todoroki answered as a wave of ice shot from his feet, creating a ramp that moved all three paralyzed victims closer to the duo.

Stain was forced to leap back as two arrows came.

"Tensei gave me some advice on how to avoid this one. Didn't expect I would use the information to do the opposite… I have already informed Edgeshot of our location, we just need to hold on for a few minutes." Machibuse jumped from the wall into the ice, once more his Chelicerae keeping his footing stable in the cold surface.

"Other pros are coming as well… It's just like the reports said, but you are not killing anyone today, Hero Killer." Todoroki stated firmly as both teenagers braced for the fight.

"Don't let him draw blood! Pretty sure he paralyzes his opponents by ingesting their blood! That's how he got us!" Midoriya shouted his hypothesis.

"It's a one hit kill then." Machibuse mused as he quickly ran his eyes across the alley, looking for anything that could make a difference in that scenario.

"That explains all the blades. We gotta keep our distan…" Todoroki began but was interrupted by a dagger grazing his cheek as he dodged.

Stain was immediately upon them. One upwards slash with his jagged sword forcing White Rider to sidestep by a hair's width.

"Ahh… you have some good friends Igenium… even if one is a fake like you!" Stain shouted as he took a wide swipe with the dagger in his left hand at Shouto. His previous attack as meant to divide his opponents.

A pillar of ice interrupted the slash. But something was amiss…

Stain looked up, causing Shouto to do the same.

"Eyes on the target! "White Rider shouted as he watched the villain yanking his classmate by the collar as his tongue reached for the fresh wound on Shouto's cheek.

Flames immediately shot from Todoroki's left as Stain jumped away, picking his sword as he did so.

One sudden jerking motion mid-air forced the villain away from the path of the incoming arrow.

"He fights like you." Shouto stated as he wiped the blood from his cheek to prevent another mistake like that.

White Rider rushed towards the ice pillar and pried the dagger stuck to it as he folded his bow. Arrows would not help much against an enemy that fast. Quickly turning the handle to a reverse grip he assumed his fighting stance. His free hand hovered over the blade as he squeezed chemicals from the Chelicerae to give the weapon a coating.

Not Machibuse's weapon of choice, but knife fighting was standard practice in the military academy even if he only trained with the ones with markers instead of blades.

"You give me too much credit… he is leagues ahead of me." White Rider admitted as he barely parried a throwing knife, waving low as Stain quickly followed with a one-handed thrust with his sword.

The Hero Killer released his sword, he had stuck it into the pillar of ice. With one single motion he grasped the handle with his other hand and pushed it down towards the masked teen.

Blades clang and sparks flew as White Rider blocked the strike before diving back away from the villain, Stain had cut his hood, but drew no blood.

White Rider threw the dagger towards the villain's throat as his free hand touched the ground to cartwheel.

The Hero Killer was quick to notice his other opponent ready to freeze him once he ducked to avoid the venomous blade, so he stood his ground and deflected the projectile with a sword strike before jumping backwards.

"The similarities might run deeper than you think, kid…" Stain observed in a very serious tone as he dashed forward once more. That comment caused all the Chelicerae on Machibuse's back to spring out for a moment.

A wave of ice rose to divide them.

"Stop it… all of you…" a pained voice came from behind.

"I've inherited my brother's name. **I** have to do this… he is **mine** to…" Iida cried out.

"Inherited his name? Weird, the Ingenium I know never made faces like that… guess your family's also has a dark side." Shouto interrupted as his wall of ice was cut into pieces.

"Obstructing your vision when against an opponent faster than yourself… poor strategy indeed." Stain's voice came from behind the chunks of ice.

"You'd like to think so." Shouto cocked his left arm, flames rising in preparation.

Two blades quickly imbedded into his flesh, interrupting the attack.

"Above…" Shouto winced in pain.

White Rider quickly readied his bow once more as he spotted the Hero Killer ready to dive on the pro that was paralyzed on the floor.

The unfolding mechanism was fast.

But not fast enough.

Something jumped behind him.

Deku was moving once more.

"Somehow I can move again just fine!" he shouted as he dragged Stain out of the air by his scarf.

"So it has a time limit?" Shouto asked as he pried the blades from his arm.

"He was the last of us to get hit! Can't be it!" the pro responded.

"There is something else then…" White Rider mused as he took aim.

Stain elbowed Deku in the back and escaped from the teen's grasp. He landed on his feet but quickly dived to the ground as an arrow flew by his head and impacted his scarf instead.

Deku dashed towards his friends as Stain was forced to dodge another wave of ice.

"So he tasted our blood and paralyzed us, but I was the first to break free somehow… I can think of three different explanations. Either the effects of his Quirk get weaker the more people he uses it on… or its about how much blood he gets… or effectiveness depends on blood type." Deku explained.

"We can likely discard the second one, you got paralyzed for quite some time with just a scratch's worth of blood. The two that are still down have some pretty big wounds, but Stain is not, well, stained in blood, so he didn't need to ingest much… and he tried to lick Shouto's cheek which had only a few drops of blood, so we can assume his Quirk kicks in effect with any amount." White Rider spoke.

"Blood type? I am B." the pro spoke.

"I'm A…" Iida added.

"Blood type, ahh… that's right." the Hero Killer admitted, visibly impressed by the deduction.

Machibuse couldn't deny he was impressed, that was one hell of a Quirk to end a fight before it even started.

"Not that knowing it will help us too much, we need to get these two out of here…" Deku spoke.

"We can't outrun him, specially carrying two people." White Rider observed.

"Until the pros get here our best option is to keep him at bay." Todoroki set their course of action.

"Todoroki-san, you have too much exposed blood, we will draw his attention while you provide rear support. If he is after Machibuse-san as well then it will be better if we don't have his targets grouped up." Deku explained his body became cloaked in energy.

"It is a risky plan… but we will protect them." Todoroki agreed.

"At least you are not naïve." the Hero Killer spoke menacingly.

Deku quickly dashed forward as a stream of fire flooded part of the alleyway.

White Rider ran alongside the wall, diving in just as the fire subdued.

Stain was faster than before, in a single movement he swiped his sword towards White Rider, forcing the teen to block with his bow, while jumping over Deku, who barely managed to dodge the spiked boots.

Stain's attacks were also stronger as evidenced by White Rider being knocked out of the air and into the floor next to Todoroki.

With a quick turn the villain slashed at Deku, who was hit in the leg as Stain's sudden increase in speed caught him off-guard. He winced in pain before falling to the ground paralyzed.

"He got me! Sorry!" Deku shouted.

"Stop it… I can't take it…" Iida cried from behind Todoroki.

"If you wanna stop this then stand up! Don't lose sight of who you want to become!" Shouto shouted back as Stain dashed towards the two that were still able to move.

"Shouto! I'm gonna need some ice!" White Rider threw his bow to the side as he pulled his mask down to his chin.

"What's the plan!?" Shouto readied to strike as soon as he received an answer.

"Nothing you haven't done before." White Rider answered as he dodged a blade barely, he felt that Stain had managed to draw his blood.

He stepped in, swatting Stain's arm away from his mouth. If he couldn't ingest his blood then it didn't matter.

Stain however had seen that coming, White Rider was wide open.

"If Stain and I are alike…" the teen started, he only had time to shift his stance a few centimeters.

His words were cut short as Stain's sword pierced his stomach.

"MACHIBUSE!"

"If Stain… and I are alike… then he would fall… for the same openings as I…" White Rider managed to speak in between shallow breaths.

"Payload... delivered." he stated with a pained smile as he eye the Hero Killer in the eyes. One of his hands was wrapped around Stain's wrist while the other was pressed against his own back, close to where the blade had exited.

"Recipro Burst!" Ingenium shouted as he kicked Stain away. Machibuse had not accounted for Iida's recovery at this precise moment, but hell he was grateful for it.

"He didn't hit any vitals! Freeze my wound!" White Rider called out as he jumped back, the sword still embedded on his lower abdomen.

"You are an idiot!" Shouto shouted back as he quickly froze both the entry and exit wound.

"That's her line… Good to… see you on your feet, Ingenium… I leave the rest to you guys." White Rider spoke as he leaned his shoulder against the wall and slid to the floor. The blade was jagged, so it would be safer not to pull it out right now.

The Hero Killer widened his eyes as he felt his arms falling numb for a moment and his legs giving in a little.

"This had nothing to do with any of you… I am sorry…" Ingenium spoke.

"Not that again…" Deku likely spoke without thinking.

"That's why I swear I won't let you three lose any more blood here." Ingenium finished as he stood in front of both Todoroki and Machibuse.

"Its no use pretending. A person's true nature is not so easily changed. You are a fake who prioritized your own selfish desires above your mission as a hero! A cancer on this society warped by fakes. Someone needs to correct the system." Stain replied as he inspected the wounds he received in his arm.

"Get with the times. This is just fundamentalism Iida, don't even think of listening to his so-called reasoning." Todoroki spoke.

"No. He is right. I have no right to call myself a hero… still, I can't allow him to break me. Because if I break… then Igenium is really dead." Ingenium concluded firmly.

" _Tensei, guess your brother is saved."_ Hakuba thought as a small smile broke through the pain as he swallowed a pill.

Shouto wasted no time in blasting the Hero Killer with his flames once more.

"Forget fighting back! Just get out of here!" the still paralyzed pro shouted.

"I don't think he'll let us. He went through a clear change about a minute ago." Todoroki responded as he continued his assault.

"Stain is fighting way off his ideal scenario here… he is getting desperate to finish his mission and escape before the pros arrive… Just now I gave him a… healthy dose of chemicals to lower his blood pressure and adrenaline… I needed something that would not only slow down my bleeding but also slow down his movements. Those three can get this done." White Rider explained as he injected himself once again, this time with something to stem his bleeding.

" _Deku should be able to move soon enough as well… you guys better get that "plus ultra" thing going fast."_ the thought crossed his mind as he did his best to not move. Machibuse had components for a painkiller among his pills, but the pain was likely what keep him conscious and he could not afford to blackout while bleeding again.

If anything Stain was likely fighting to stay awake as well.

His tenacity was just fucking insane.

Machibuse could barely follow the fight at this point. He heard Ingenium asking for his legs to be frozen as he watched the red blur of Stain's scarf dashing about as he kicked the walls of the alleyway… a green _something_ jumped after him.

Deku was moving once again. Both him and Ingenium managed to get a very solid hit at the same time.

Stain reached for another dagger, yet his hand lacked strength to pull the weapon from its sheath.

Instants after there was a burst of flame.

Then another, but this time from Iida's Engines.

Machibuse took a deep breath as he watched the Hero Killer finally immobilized… That caused him to remember that he had a sword stuck to his abdomen and deep breaths were really painful.

It took him a gargantuan effort to stand up.

"Machibuse-san! We need to get you to the hospital!" Iida panicked.

"Tie him up first… and pick my bow for me please, can't really bend down to do it myself..." Machibuse spoke as he reached for the Wire Arrow in his side quiver, yanking the offshoot projectile to pull the cable that rested inside the arrowhead.

"We better take his weapons just in case…" Midoriya observed.

"Get me the scabbard from his back." Machibuse asked as the three started to pick apart Stain's arsenal.

"Sure… should I ask why?" Todoroki asked as he handed the object to his classmate.

"Permission to break protocol?" Machibuse asked as he inspected the wooden scabbard and the handle of the sword protruding from his body.

"Suppose we can't deny you much at this point…" Midoriya sighed.

"This shit will look… fucking amazing on my wall." Machibuse responded as he very weakly walked towards the main street. The pro-hero that accompanied them had offered to carry him, but he preferred to take the walk while bracing against the wall, that would keep him awake.

"I don't think the police would allow that. This sword is a central piece of evidence." Todoroki observed as he dragged the unconscious Stain along.

"Let me dream, will you?" Machibuse complained as their reached the main street just in time to spot two figures coming from opposite directions.

Machibuse recognized one of them as Edgeshot, the second one was an old man unknown to him.

The old mand immediately greeted Midoriya by kicking him in the face and scolding him for not waiting where he was supposed to.

Edgeshot luckily was much less direct.

"Target captured, Sir." White Rider took a shallow breath before speaking.

"That is not what concerns me right now." Edgeshot was visibly distressed as he inspected his wounded student.

Machibuse couldn't help but notice how nervous Midoriya was by meeting Edgeshot in person.

More people were arriving, Endeavors sidekicks.

"We got a backup request from Endeavor… but…" one of them spoke as they approached.

"Get an ambulance they are badly hurt!" another shouted as he realized the severity of the situation, Midoriya seemed to be the least beat up among the group, and he was barely capable of standing.

"I am so terribly sorry… you three were wounded because of me." Iida's voice came from behind, he was bowing sharply as his wounded arms dangled at his sides.

"I… was blind… I lost sight of everything!" he admitted with tears in his eyes.

"No, I am sorry too… I couldn't tell that you were so upset about it. I'm supposed to be your friend…" Midoriya responded as he looked towards the pavement.

"Get it together. You are the class president, aren't you?" Todoroki asked.

Iida wiped his tears as he nodded.

"Can we leave this conversation for **after** I get this out of my intestines? I can't even… describe how much this hurts." Machibuse winced in pain as he studied Iida's expression.

They just had survived the hardest fight of their lives. In the grand scheme of things it took only three hundred and seventy seconds, but it felt like an eternity.

"GET DOWN!" the old man that Midoriya had called Gran Torino shouted as a winged Nomu swooped on them.

It grabbed Midoriya with one claw and would have taken Machibuse as well if Edgeshot hadn't sliced the clawed fingers off.

Both Edgeshot and Gran Torino prepared to give chase when something suddenly moved amidst the group.

Stain had cut the rope.

In one movement he quickly levered himself of one of the sidekicks while also licking the Nomu's blood that splashed on her face.

The Hero Killer killed the Nomu and saved Midoriya.

"BOTH THIS SHAM-FILLED SOCIETY… AND THE CRIMINALS WHO WIELD THEIR POWER IN NAME OF PETTY MISCHIEF… ARE TO BE PURGED BY MY HAND… ALL FOR THE BETTERMENT OF SOCIETY…" Stain bellowed, his breathing erratic as he drooled profusely.

"He saved the kid!?" one of the sidekicks asked to no one in particular.

"No idiot! He is taking a hostage!" another one responded

"Enough! Assume battle positions!" the female sidekick ordered.

"One of them headed this way!" someone shouted from an alley across the street.

Endeavor had arrived at the scene.

"Wait, is that…?" the Flame Hero asked as his eyes spotted Stain.

"Endeavor…" the Hero Killer stumbled as he turned to face the heroes, his mask falling and being carried by the wind as he did so.

"You fake… if I don't fix it… if someone isn't… stained with blood!" he continued wobbling towards the group.

Stain was barely awake, likely had more than a few broken bones and only had with him a single folding knife the teens failed to find.

Yet nobody dared to approach him.

Each step he took caused everyone to recoil in fear.

"COME! JUST TRY ME YOU FAKES!" Stain was pure bloodlust personified.

Machibuse was terrified… but something else compounded on that fear…

"THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO KILL ME IS A TRUE HERO; ALL MIGHT!" Stain shouted with a fury.

Then he suddenly stopped.

Stain was out cold, but still on his feet.

Yet it took everyone a moment to believe they were safe.

-.

 **March 31th, Hosu General Hospital, 1100.**

The four boys were at the same room, they had spent the night there. Midoriya, Todoroki and Iida were sitting on their respective beds while Machibuse, who had to go through a three-hour surgery without any kind of anesthetics, was laying on his mattress.

Luckily for him this was considered a school activity, so Recovery Girl was allowed to come perform the surgery and speed up his recovery. Still, he would be bedridden for at least the next two days and barred from physical activity for the next five.

Unluckily for him, he was not allowed to keep the sword. The artefact was gone by the time he left the surgery room.

"Looking back now… what we did was incredible." Midoriya mused.

"Yeah…" Todoroki agreed, the other two teens in the room shared the opinion as well.

"I'd say it's a miracle we are still alive. He could easily have killed me back there…" Midoriya admitted as he looked towards his wounded leg.

"He let is live, definitely." Todoroki spoke as he studied his bandaged arm.

"You two, yes… I assume that Iida and I got lucky." Machibuse corrected as he painfully tried to sit up for a moment before the pain made him reconsider.

"Still, I'm impressed… even with him coming at you with all that bloodlust you stood up to him. We came to save you but in the end we were the ones to need help. Sorry." Todoroki told Iida.

"Its not like that. I…" Iida began but the door opening interrupted their conversation.

"Ooh, all the little wounded warriors are awake!" Gran Torino spoke as he entered the room alongside Manual, Edgeshot and someone else… a beagle in a suit apparently.

"I am still gonna chew you out, but before that… You guys have a visitor; this is Mr. Tsuragamae, Hosu's chief of police." Gran Torino introduced their visitor as Iida and Todoroki got up.

"Please, stay seated, _woof_ … so you are the U.A. students who put a stop to the Hero Killer, _woof_." Tsuragamae spoke.

" _Woof?"_ Machibuse quirked an eyebrow.

"The Hero Killer is currently in treatment for his burns, broken bones and a number of serious injuries, _woof_. Since you are U.A. students I am sure you already know that when superpowers were becoming the norm the police made sure that Quirks were not used as weapons. This brought the "hero" profession to fill the gap, _woof._ For these individuals to use their abilities, most of which are capable of causing death, it is thanks to the ethics and rules of the profession… For uncertified individuals such as yourselves to cause injury with your Quirks without express permission from those guarding you is against the law, even if up against the Hero Killer. The eight of you must be dealt strictly and impartially, the four students as well as their respective guardians during yesterday: Gran Torino, Endeavor, Edgeshot and Manual." Tsuragamae explained the situation.

"Hold on a minute, if Iida hadn't acted the way he did Native would have been killed! And if Midoriya hadn't show up both of them would be dead. No one even realized that the Hero Killer had attacked! Are you telling me that we were supposed to let people die!?" Todoroki lashed out while poor Midoriya tried to stop him.

"So you are telling me that just because things turned out ok this time we should ignore the laws of society?" Tsurugamae asked without losing his composure.

"Isn't a hero's job to act like we did!?" Todoroki continued.

"Goodness, what are you being taught by U.A. and Endeavor, _woof_?" the police chief taunted.

"You mutt…" Todoroki stepped forward.

"Todoroki-san, your Bakugo is showing… Tsurugamae-dono would have not came all the way here just to lecture us." Machibuse called out.

Tsurugamae nodded.

"Yes, what I just explained to you is what I'm obligated to tell you as a member of the police… the real question is whether or not we deal with this issue publicly, _woof_. If we let the history out you will be lauded by the public but will be unable to avoid punishment. Or we can keep all this nasty business to ourselves, the Hero Killer's burns will support the history that Endeavor was the one to take him down while Edgeshot protected you four and Native, they will be the ones to receive the accolades and you walk away free from both the punishment and the glory." he proposed.

"Personally I don't want to be the one pressing charges against such promising young men like yourselves because of one big mistake." Tsurugamae added with a thumbs up.

The four agreed, bowing in respect. Machibuse actually couldn't ask for a better result, he walked away without getting caught up in a lawsuit _and_ he would avoid getting any more attention.

"The world's an unfair place. You'll receive none of the commendations that you might have otherwise, but...at least as someone invested in protecting the peace, I can thank you." Tsurugamae bowed sharply.

"You can start with that next time…" Todoroki looked to the side, slightly flustered as the police chief left the room alongside the heroes.

"Kamihara-san, before you go…" Machibuse called.

Edgeshot turned to face him.

"Earlier this week you asked me to show heroism… Did I live up to your expectations, Sir?" Machibuse asked, a hint of nervousness on his voice.

"I would have preferred a less drastic presentation, yes… but rest assured that you more than met what I expected. Keep up the good work and I will surely be asking U.A. for you again in the future." Kamihara admitted with a sincere look on his only visible eye.

"Then I have a favor to ask you." Machibuse spoke as he turned his eyes to Midoriya.

"It's his fault that I ended up in your agency, Sir… and he is too shy to ask for an autograph."

-.

 **April 1st, Hosu General Hospital, 0945.**

The door slid open, Midoriya came back with visibly a flustered expression. A welcome change of pace, the room's atmosphere had been pretty heavy for the last few minutes.

"Ah, Iida, just got off the phone with Uraraka and…" he began.

" _Oh?"_ Machibuse quirked an eyebrow. Ashido's terrible habit of seeing romance in these things was rubbing off on him.

"Midoriya…" Todoroki interrupted "Iida just got his diagnosis."

Midoriya fell silent for a second.

"My left hand… could have permanent damage. Stain severed something called the brachial plexus nerve. The doctor said I might regain most of the feeling… and use of my left hand if I receive a nerve transplant." Iida explained never taking his eyes from the floor.

Midoriya swallowed hard as he took the news.

"When I found the Hero Killer, my mind went blank. I should have told Manual before doing anything else… I may hate Stain for what he did, but he wasn't wrong. So until I can become a true hero… my left hand will serve as a reminder." Iida continued.

It took Midoriya a moment to respond.

He offered Iida his scarred right hand.

"Iida-kun, I… I feel the same way… Let's get stronger. Together." Midoriya spoke.

"I'm… sorry…" Todoroki muttered.

"For what?" Midoriya asked confusedly.

"Whenever I'm involved… peoples' hands get messed up… it is like a curse or something." Todoroki explained while sweating bullets.

This prompted the other three boys in the room to exchange glances before looking towards their injured hands and then back at Todoroki.

"…"

"…"

 _*Pfftt*_

They managed to hold their laughter for a moment, but it soon became too much.

"Todoroki-kun! Since when you tell jokes!?" Midoriya managed to ask in between his fits of laughter.

"I am not joking. You might as well call me "The Hand Crusher" or something!" Todoroki insisted.

This only got the other three to laugh even more.

"Stop him! It hurts like hell to laugh like this!" Machibuse clutched his pained stomach but failed to stop laughing. Todoroki was denser than a bottle of mercury.

It took them a minute to get a hold of themselves.

They didn't knew how much they needed to laugh like that.

The four kept silent for a moment, even if some chuckling came back every so often. That lasted until a cellphone started ringing.

The tsugaru music gave away that was Machibuse's.

Took him some effort to reach for the device without bending over his wound.

He didn't answer the call, instead he just looked at the screen from a moment with his usual deadpanned expression.

"Machibuse-san… something wrong?" Iida asked.

"Assuming that I took the proverbial bullet for the team against Stain… which of you fine gentleman will be the one to tell her that I got a sword through my stomach?" Machibuse asked as he held his cellphone out.

He knew she was going to scold him. A lot.

Momo was calling.

-.

 **April 3rd, Machibuse Residence, 2015.**

Machibuse had been the last one to be discharged from the hospital. Both Iida and Todoroki left by night of April 1st, Todoroki was actually well enough to continue his workplace experience and Iida was clear to go home and rest. Midoriya had been discharged on the following afternoon.

Machibuse had left the hospital about four hours ago and made it straight home after a quick stop at Edgeshot's agency to pick his belongings. He received a warm goodbye and even some gifts. The fruit basket was very welcome as he would still be on a liquid diet for the next couple of days and he would take juice over milk any day.

Kamihara was on patrol when Machibuse arrived. Although they had already exchanged the goodbyes in the hospital the Ninja Hero left a note for his student.

" _Footing."_

That got Machibuse to stifle a laugh as he left the building. Walking without making a sound while in post-operative was quite the task, but simply reading the note in Kamihara's voice made him push forth.

The note was now resting underneath the base of a wacky Edgeshot bobblehead he received from the guys at marketing.

He didn't realize how much he had missed his cramped apartment.

He could watch his shitty movies, stretch on his shitty couch and shower on his shitty bathroom.

Machibuse even sat down to play some music… he would see to visit his parents over the next weekend. They would like to hear the history and would not tell anybody about it.

Momo would surely still chew on him tomorrow, but they had spoken for a bit after Iida picked up the phone and delivered the news in a manner only the class president was capable of... There was no denying that she didn't took the information kindly, as Iida actually held the cellphone about half a foot away from his ear as she bombarded him with questions.

The three gave Machibuse a curious look as he hung up. The question as written all over their faces but Machibuse didn't gave them an answer.

By now Hakuba was just waiting for his canned soup to get ready, in the meantime he messaged a few people from his class to inform that he was out of the hospital already and things were fine. Some unexpected people contacted him to ask how he was; Detective Tsukauchi, Kendo, Honenuki, Tokage and Shinso.

Hatsume also seemed worried, but whatever troubled her was immediately washed away when he sent her the Nomu picture as a reply. The police had decided that the Nomu incident wasn't something to keep under the rug, so he was free to use that picture as he saw fit… the guys from Edgeshot's marketing also made a point to have that picture on his hero profile. More questions that he would have to answer… or not.

Now that he stopped to think about it Hakuba never had so many people worried for him. That felt weird but not necessarily bad.

There was still one thing that bothered him while he poured the soup on a bowl however.

The Hero Killer: Stain.

Not the fight or what he said. It was what he unspoken that sent shivers down Hakuba's spine.

Hakuba picked his phone up.

He took a painfully deep breath as he punched in a number to call.

Whoever he was calling took an eternity to answer.

" _What do you want, Fura?"_

"I need a favor from you, oh crooked witch of the bogs."

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Well, I'll be damned… can't believe I made twenty chapters already and I can't believe you guys had the patience to come this far with me. Seriously, keep up the good work, love reading the messages and reviews.**_

 _ **Now we head to much less troubled waters… right?**_


	21. Healing

**April 4th, In Transit Towards U.A. Highschool, 0815.**

"You sure you shouldn't be resting?"

"I have been forced to stay in bed up until being discharged from the hospital yesterday. I don't have the mental fortitude to just stare at the ceiling for another entire day, Shoji-san."

Both students were calmly making their way towards the platform as they watched the train approaching. Not too cramped luckily, Machibuse wasn't looking forward to getting elbowed in his wounds by accident.

"I can carry my bag. Would you mind?" Machibuse asked with mild annoyance seeping in his voice as they boarded the train.

"I'm still not convinced on your situation, so just stop complaining and sit down." Shoji responded as he adjusted Machibuse's bag on one of his shoulders. On two of his hands he carried the suitcase with his school supplies and the metallic suitcase with his costume.

"Siting down and getting up still hurt some." Machibuse admitted with a sigh as he leaned against the wall and lowered his costume's suitcase to the floor, tucking it between his feet. The costume had been washed thoroughly, but the damage had yet to be patched and his bow needed some repairs after being used to block a sword.

"The other three got out of that fight in better shape at least?" Shoji asked as he watched his friend wincing slightly as the momentum of a sharper turn in the tracks forced Machibuse's wounded back against the wall with more force than he liked.

"Iida suffered considerable nerve damage, so he will have to deal with rehabilitation for a while if he doesn't go through a transplant. The other two likely just got a few scars." Machibuse answered as he shifted his position.

"Your mind is still in that fight I guess." Shoji offered.

"It has less to do with the fight and more with Stain himself." Machibuse spoke with a sigh.

Before Shoji could press for further details the door opened and both Kirishima and Ashido boarded the train and immediately spotted their classmates.

"Man, you gave us a hell of a scare!" Kirishima spoke as they approached.

"Sorry for troubling you." Machibuse bowed his head as he spoke.

"Don't go dying on us, you'll end up giving Yaomomo a heart attack one of these days!" Ashido scolded as she gave his head a light karate chop.

"How bad it is?" Kirishima asked as he greeted him friends properly.

"The surgery was the worst party because I am immune to anesthetics. I managed to shift to the side before the attack, so the blade passed between the chemical sacs on my lower back and the hip bone. Still, there was a lot of damage done to my intestines, so I am on liquid diet for the next twelve days. Not to mention that I will be returning to the hospital a couple more times over the next two weeks to make sure everything is right." Machibuse explained, bitterness arising once he mentioned the diet.

"Ouch…" Ashido winced.

"Indeed... I can't explain every detail of what happened because the police asked to not divulge too much, but I can treat you guys with a piece of the history once we get to school if don't mind waiting. This way I can save myself the trouble of telling it over and over."

-.

 **April 4th, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 0840.**

At first it was just discomfort…

Then a mild pain…

Now it was too much.

"Stop laughing both of you!" Bakugo ordered.

"My hair got used to it and now it won't come of even after I wash it! PINPRICK YOU BETTER CUT THE CRAP AS WELL, THAT FUCKING MASK OF YOURS IS NOT HIDING SHIT! I WILL MURDER ALL OF YOU!" Bakugo shouted.

His face contorted in anger, but the neatly combed office hairdo made it absolutely impossible to take Bakugo seriously. It was absolute comedy gold.

Machibuse was doing his best to not burst into laughter alongside Sero and Kirishima, his wounded stomach caused him to hunch in pain as he tried to keep it down.

"I'd like see you try, side-part boy!" Sero blurted out barely out of breath, eyes tearful from the outburst.

Bakugo's hair literally bursted back into the usual spiky mess as he snapped and lunged at the two closest targets.

Machibuse was left to make his escape amidst a mix of laughing and painful coughing as he gasped for air on the way as he passed by many of his colleagues who were conversing about their respective experiences, soon reaching his seat besides Todoroki. He, Iida and Midoriya were talking and Machibuse could very well guess the topic of their discussion.

Momo had a mix of amusement and worry in her face as she watched Hakuba scampering away from the blonde. She proceeded to get up and make way towards his desk.

Jiro and Asui were telling Ashido about how they actually performed real hero work, much to Ashido's excitement as she had seen little to no action.

They called Uraraka to the conversation only to meet the usually bubbly girl with a menacing posture.

"It was very… enlightening." Uraraka spoke in a cold tone as she performed a sequence of punches with surprisingly good form.

"Such a transformation in a single week…" Kaminari mused as he watched the scene.

"Not a transformation Kaminari… this is her true demonic nature; all women are demons…" Mineta muttered nibbling on his nails. Apparently Mt. Lady had crushed his spirit.

"I just got pampered for the week… but if you want to talk about transformation we gotta give it to those four." Kaminari turned to the group on the back of the class, Machibuse had just slumped slowly into his seat to join the conversation.

"Yeah! The Hero Killer!" Sero spoke as Bakugo dragged both him and Kirishima.

"Glad you guys to out of that alive!" Kirishima offered.

"I was so worried for you guys when I heard about it…" Yaoyorozu spoke as she stopped behind Machibuse, both her hands resting on his shoulders. She held him down for a moment, just so he wouldn't get up just to greet her. She knew about the extent of the wound and imagined that it would hurt to get up.

"I expected you to have scolded me by now, ma'am." Machibuse spoke as he looked up to meet her face. He only realized that she was closer than he expected once his head was cushioned by something pleasingly firm yet soft.

The faintest amount of color came to his face as he realized just what had cushioned his movement, but his poker face held strong otherwise.

"This is different from the Sports Festival, it's not like you almost killed yourself just to get a hit in." Yaoyorozu responded as Machibuse slowly moved and adjusted his posture slightly to undo the awkward position without forcing her hands away.

" _It's not like she needs to know, right?"_ Machibuse thought as his eyes quickly meet with those of the other three that were in that alleyway and established an almost telepathic link.

"Yeah… we were **saved**." Todoroki lied. The four had spoken previously about who would actually tell that lie. It was split between Iida and Todoroki since Midoriya was a bad lair overall and Machibuse had a lot of tells that more perceptive people could pick easily.

"So, I saw on the news… they are saying that the Hero Killer and the League of Villains are connected. I'd hate to think about what would have happened if a guy like him showed up at the USJ that day." Ojiro spoke visibly concerned.

"You were the one to take that picture on the rooftop, weren't you?" Shoji asked Machibuse.

"Affirmative. But something doesn't make sense about the connection. Stain seemed to idolize All Mighty to the point of fanatism… not sure how he would come to work with someone that openly stated to want All Mighty dead." Machibuse questioned. Now that he thought about it, the wound he spotted on Shigaraki's shoulder was a cut. It was made public that White Rider and Edgeshot encountered the League of Villains that night, but the close-up picture of Shigaraki was kept away from the public eye for the moment.

"Yeah, hold on Ojiro. He is scary sure, but have you seen that video? You can really see his tenacity… he is kinda cool, don't you think?" Kaminari asked nonchalantly.

"Ka-Kaminari..!" Midoriya stuttered as he glanced back and forth towards Iida and Machibuse.

"Huh? Ah! S-sorry!" Kaminari quickly covered his mouth and apologized.

Machibuse showed no visible reaction, but Yaoyorozu could fell his shoulders tensing slightly under her hands.

"No… its fine. He is certainly a man of conviction, so I get why some people may think he is _cool_." Iida responded as he looked to his injured hand for a moment.

"But his convictions led him to conclude that society needed to go through a purge, and, no matter what reasons a man has, that is absolutely wrong. That's why I will correct my course and walk the path of a true hero! So that no one like myself emerges to suffer! CLASS IS ABOUT TO START! TO YOUR SEATS EVERYONE!" the class president added, gaining more enthusiasm along his speech.

Iida's wounds would heal just fine.

Machibuse smiled.

Now he needed to heal his.

-.

 **April 4th, U.A. Highschool Ground Gamma, 1330.**

"I AM HERE! And the reason for this is obviously your basic hero training! It's been a while you zygotes! How is everyone!?" All Might welcomed his students with enthusiasm.

The students were unimpressed.

"Not much on an entrance…"

"Yeah, I expected more after a break like last week's."

"Maybe he ran out of shticks?"

"As an immediate follow up to your week on the field, today's activity is on the more playful side. A rescue-training race!" the teacher continued, unfazed by the chatter.

"Ah, a race. Who could've expected that?" Machibuse turned to Yaoyorozu who stood by his side, irony palpable in the question even if his tone was stern as usual.

Yaoyorozu rolled her eyes.

"Shouldn't rescue training be conducted at the USJ?" Iida asked as his arm rose in a single mechanical motion. Iida and Machibuse were the only not in costume as theirs' were under repairs, so both sported the standard PE uniforms.

"That place is for disaster rescues in particular. This is not what we are here for… THIS IS FIELD GAMMA! A DENSE SPREAD OF FACTORIES WINDING TOGETHER TO CREATE AN INTRICATE NETWORK OF ALLEYS THAT CAN QUICKLY TURN INTO A MAZE!" All Might responded with gusto.

"You will be divided into groups, five of you at a time will race to see who can reach my location in the shortest amount of time once I send a distress signal. Its a race to see who can rescue me first!" he added, explaining the exercise.

There was a brief pause in the teacher's speech as he looked towards Bakugo.

"Naturally you are expected to keep the destruction on property to a minimum." All Might observed, much to Bakugo's dislike.

The first group was comprised of Ashido, Ojiro, Iida, Sero and Midoriya. All of which soon assumed their positions to start while the rest of the class made way towards the spectators area.

"Iida is still not fully recovered. Maybe he should have sat this one out like Machibuse did." Kirishima pointed out.

"It's like all of the class's mobility experts are on this group if you count Machibuse out." Kaminari added to the observation.

"Aren't you idiots forgetting I am the one who can actually fucking fly!? Who you are calling mobility experts!?" Bakugo blurted out as his pride was singed.

"Midoriya seems to be at a huge disadvantage there." Shoji pondered, ignoring Bakugo's outburst.

"I am not sitting the exercise one out… I am injured so I was asked to take it easy; I was only allowed to participate at all because it is not a combat exercise. These kinds of exercises favor certain students, so it's normal to have the more apt going first as to set the bar." Machibuse explained as he leaned against the railing rather than sitting.

"Then why is Midoriya there? To be honest I'm not really sold on his power yet." Jiro tossed her two cents about the outcome.

"Right. He has to hurt himself in order to accomplish anything…" Yaoyorozu added to that.

"I can answer that as well… All Might-sensei originally intended to have me in the first group, but since I was asked to tone it down he tasked me with picking someone to take my spot." Machibuse said.

"And you picked fucking Deku!? I. Can. Fucking. Fly!" Bakugo asked while making one of those faces.

"Yeah… why so much faith in Midoriya?" Kirishima questioned as well.

"If he wasn't at least this good then both me and Iida would be dead. He might not win, the scenario is just too perfect for Sero-san's Tape, but I am sure you will be surprised." Machibuse responded not taking his eyes from the screen.

"Yeah, I'd say Sero's taking first." Kirishima agreed.

"Don't count Ojiro out though." Kaminari placed his bet.

"Deku will come last." Bakugo muttered.

"I'm rooting for Ashido, her reflexes are nuts!" Mineta joined the bet.

"Even with his injury I got a good feeling about Iida." Uraraka mused.

Before anyone else managed to speak, the race started. Sero quickly took the lead as expected with Ojiro right behind, both making good use of their ability to move in three dimensions across the track.

Then in an instant Midoriya passed them, quickly leaping from pipe to pipe.

"As I said." Machibuse spoke as he studied the movements. He would give a few pointers to Midoriya later, but he surely was impressed.

"He is bouncing around… just like…" Uraraka was wide eyed.

"How'd he change so much in a week?" Mineta asked.

Everyone was in awe.

Everyone but Bakugo. The gap was closing fast.

That lasted up until Midoriya's foot slipped as he landed on another pipe.

Straight down to the floor.

More than a few pointers were needed.

-.

 **April 4th, U.A. Highschool Ground Gamma, Man's Locker Room, 1530.**

"After being away for so long I ended up breaking a sweat." Aoyama spoke as he patted his face dry with a towel.

"Man, I really need to work on my mobility." Kirishima complained as he took off his shoulder pads.

"You just have to make up for it with reconnaissance." Tokoyami suggested as he finished adjusting his tie, his simple outfit gave him quite the advantage when it came down to changing time.

"We will still fall behind at this rate. Can't deny I'm kinda jealous of you and Sero… and what the hell was that Machibuse?" Kaminari spoke as he turned towards the wounded teen.

"Sorry to disappoint. Guess I could've gone for a top three if my situation wasn't this bad." Machibuse apologized, he was sitting hunched on the benches as Sero helped him with changing his bandages, some tape here and there would make the damn thing much less inopportune.

"Disappoint? You got eighth place with a hole through your stomach… damn you could get a belt going through there if that was still open." Sero observed as he gave the fresh-looking scar on Machibuse's back a painful last look before it was covered.

"Got my stitches out yesterday after lunch, does it look bad?" Machibuse asked.

"Well, it is not nearly as bad as the one on the front, guess that one is the entry wound... That being said, yes, it looks pretty bad." Sero admitted as he finished securing the bandages.

The scar on Machibuse's back was much smaller than the one on the lower right quadrant of his abdomen, just the tip of the blade went through all the length of his torso. The one in front however was a beast on it's own right, the jagged blade and Stain's attempt to yank the blade as his wrist was locked into place gave the scar a rather harsh outline. Both were tilted inwards about thirty degrees and the back one was a little higher than the front, since the blow had come from a rising angle.

"Thank you, Sero-san." Machibuse nodded resigned as he got up to pick his shirt.

"If anything you will end up with some real manly looking scars! A proof of survival!" Kirishima offered with a determined smile.

"Yeah, who knows if Yaomomo might dig this kind of thing… Some chicks like scars." Kaminari jabbed only to receive a cold, tired glare in response.

"Machibuse-san, mind if I ask you something?" Tokoyami called out as he finished dressing.

He received a discontented deadpan stare. Tokoyami was just about the last of his classmates Machibuse expected to pry into his romantic affairs.

"It's not about her." Tokoyami sighed.

"Go on then." Machibuse relented.

"Why the sixteen?" the bird-headed teen asked as he turned his eyes to Machibuse's exposed shoulder.

"Huh… yeah, I'm curious about it too. It's not like you hide it, but I can't guess what it means since it is just a number." Sero joined the questioning.

"Yes, that is a most interesting question. After all you are not legally old enough to have a tattoo." Iida observed.

"Fashion maybe?" Aoyama guessed.

Machibuse gave a visible sigh as he turned to look at the inked skin.

"It's a reminder." he responded vaguely.

"A reminder about…?" Midoriya joined in, pretty much everyone in the room was now waiting for the response.

"That is classified information I am afraid." Machibuse spoke as he dressed up, covering the tattoo from his classmates' eyes.

"Ehh…"

"Come on man, stop teasing us!"

"Boooring!"

"I am not kidding actually. I am under risk of martial court if I disclose details about it without express permission from the Ministry of Defense." Machibuse explained with tangible grief in his voice.

That was enough to end that conversation.

"Well, never mind that. I am about to dive into some classified information over here!" Mineta spoke with much enthusiasm as he revealed a hole hidden behind a poster.

"It's just like Shawshank! Our predecessors must have worked really hard to get it done! And you guys know what is on the other side of this wall, right? The girls' locker room!" he added as his mouth started to water.

"Stop that, Mineta! Peeking is considered a major offense!" Iida objected.

"Yeah? Well, Mineta Jr. is about to go on the offensive here!" the diminutive teen proclaimed as he ripped the poster and leaned closer to the wall.

Machibuse had just sat down to get into his socks and shoes, but in an instant he was on his feet. The pain however stopped him from acting in time.

"YAOYOROZU'S YAOYOROPPAI! ASHIDO'S SEXY SILHOUETTE! HAGAKURE'S FLOATING PANTIES! URARAKA'S FINE URARAKA-BODY! ASUI'S SURPRISINGLY LARGE BOO-! AAAAAAAH" the pervert's rant and trespassing was interrupted by one of Jiro's jacks stabbing his eyeball.

"IT'S JIRO'S EARPHONE JACK! A SURPRISING AND BRUTAL COMBINATION OF STEALTH AND PRECISION!" Midoriya shouted the exposition.

Mineta was left agonizing on the floor for about thirty seconds before the appendage retracted.

A voice came through the hole.

"Hakuba! Are you in there!?" Momo called out.

"Affirmative. Got on my feet a little too fast for my own good just now but I am... mostly good, ma'am." Hakuba responded as he walked closer to the hole.

"You made me an offer during the second day of school. Can you do it? Nothing extreme though, you know…" Momo asked, her voice hushed now so only Hakuba would hear through the hole.

Pain immediately ceased.

Hakuba had received clearance for his mission.

Mineta Minoru was found by campus security eight hours later, screaming for help while strapped to the underside of a sewer grate in Ground Beta. He had no memories of how he ended up there and security cameras covering the area had been tampered with. There were no fingerprints and no tracks left behind by the assaulter.

Machibuse Hakuba slept wonderfully that night.

-.

 **April 15th, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 1600.**

"All right everyone! Stop writing and pass your sheets to the person behind you, the four at the back row will be in charge of bringing everything to my desk." Aisawa instructed as he heard the school bell ringing.

Most of the week had been devoted to the midterms and today's was the last exam of the bunch.

Uraraka, Machibuse, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu soon reached the teacher's desk and placed the papers in a single stack. While Yaoyorozu was confident she had aced today's exam and Todoroki was unfazed by the week, Machibuse and Uraraka were visibly troubled as they turned to return to their desks.

"You will receive your grades over the next week. Remember that the finals will take place in the last week of June and there will be a practical exam as well a written exam. Class dismissed." The teacher informed as he stored the papers into an envelope and exited the room.

"Man that was rough!" Kaminari admitted with worry in his eyes.

"Nah, it will be fine!" Ashido waved off the concerns.

Machibuse was silently praying for Ashido to be right, some tension still visible in his expression as he stored his belongings to head home.

"Not doing so hot, Captain?" Jiro called as both her and Yaoyorozu approached.

"Can't deny that I am expecting the worse, Lieutenant. Two weeks of panic before the Sports Festival and a all the trouble I had to deal with because of my wound after Hosu certainly took their toll on my performance in the midterms." Machibuse sighed in defeat.

"Don't be afraid of asking for my help, I should be able to help you to catch up after school." Yaoyorozu offered gently.

"I might take you up on that offer, ma'am. I will narrow down the problem topics once we get our grades and give you an answer by the end of next week then." Machibuse spoke as he took a moment to scan the classroom.

"Your place?" Yaoyorozu asked nonchalantly.

Jiro quirked an eyebrow as Machibuse agreed without a second guess. She was aware that those two had become very close over the last month, Machibuse holding Yaoyorozu's hand under the table when they were speaking about him being drafted by Edgeshot may have escaped Ashido's eye, but Jiro was much more perceptive. But for someone like Yaoyorozu to suggest something as forward as a meeting in his apartment so normally it meant that those two were much further down the rabbit hole.

"Regardless, I am finally over that insufferable liquid diet, so I want to get something going…" Machibuse spoke.

"Oi, everyone! How busy are you Sunday? I am aware this is a sudden call, but I have been itching to eat something besides soup and having some guests might convince me to cook something different." he called everyone in class.

-.

 **April 17th, In Transit Towards Machibuse Residence, 1140.**

"I am betting it's curry." Kirishima stated as the group walked alongside the suburbs of Shinjuku.

"No… Machibuse-kun said that he was going to cook something different." Uraraka scratched her chin as she tried to think of what was on the menu for today.

They, alongside Midoriya, Koda, Iida, Tokoyami, Asui, Jiro and Yaoyorozu had taken on Machibuse's offer.

"I saw a show once that had people having snake soup in Okinawa -gero" Asui pondered as she brought a finger to her cheek.

This got everyone quiet for a moment.

"He just got out of a having only soup for half a month, so at least we can scratch that possibility…" Tokoyami observed, wondering if he just had waltzed into some kind of trap.

"Machibuse-san wouldn't do something like this without telling us first… right?" Midoriya asked to no one in specific.

"Do you think it will be like… fried bugs on a stick? Like in those survival shows…" Kirishima asked with a slight tinge of fear in his voice.

Koda's eyes went to the size of plates as he now expected the worse.

"Can we stop talking about this? I'm gonna lose my appetite before we even get to his house like this!" Jiro complained loudly.

"Yes, I agree. Machibuse-kun has been kind enough to invite us, we shouldn't be viewing his offer in such a way!" Iida added, even if he visibly wasn't looking forward to opening the door to see a plate of grubs squirming.

Yaoyorozu silently led the group, pondering whether or not tell her classmates about the time Machibuse told her about the survival and scavenging training his mother put him through since he was a kid.

A tale she would very much need to push out of her mind if she intended on kissing him ever again.

-.

 **April 17th, Machibuse Residence, 1205.**

The group reached the third floor and soon found themselves at Machibuse's door, Iida was about to press the doorbell when they heard a laugh coming from the inside.

It definitely wasn't Machibuse's, but it sure was a voice they had heard before.

Iida shrugged and pressed the button.

"It's unlocked!" Machibuse's voice came through the window.

Whatever kind of crawling creature Machibuse had in that pot smelled amazing as the group made it inside two or three at a time as the rather cramped entry hall wasn't large enough to fit everyone as they took of their shoes. Jiro Asui and Yaoyorozu were the last ones to enter.

"Momo-chan, that day in Nagoya…" Asui kept her voice low as she pointed to the shelf on which rested the family portrait and the two stones.

"Yeah, we really shouldn't have done that… he never really got mad at us, specially not at you since he knew that you wanted to stop me and Mina-chan, so let's just leave that day behind… it still bothers me a little." Yaoyorozu admitted as she glanced at the picture.

"It shouldn't, you two started to really like each other since then." Asui spoke bluntly as she joined the rest of the group.

"I feel like I am being left out of something here…" Jiro quirked an eyebrow as she turned to Yaoyorozu.

"Ectoplasm-sensei!?" Kirishima, Uraraka and Midoriya shouted in surprise from the living room.

"I can tell you later." Yaoyorozu smiled as she motioned for them to join everyone else.

"Ah, I guess it is the first time you have seen me without my costume." Ectoplasm thought out loud. The math teacher, who normally was clad in his black bodysuit and tan cloak, was dressed casually and was currently leaning against the kitchen counter as he held a bottle of something alcoholic in his hand.

"Sensei was the one to give me the idea. I asked him about any good Okinawan restaurants here in Tokyo, but most felt too overpriced. Took it upon myself to do the cooking then." Machibuse explained as he carried two plates stacked with something that looked like strips of white meat towards the table in front of the couch.

"Main dish will take a few minutes still. Make yourselves at home, borrowed a few extra chairs from a neighbor." he added before popping some of the mysterious finger food in his mouth and making his way towards his classmates to greet them properly. He was dressed in green camo track pants and a loose shirt that had rows of holes poked into its back, likely by accident.

"Is this…?" Uraraka muttered in fear as she studied the food trapped in her chopsticks.

"Captain is this snake meat!?" Jiro asked distressed.

"Negative. Erabu meat is way too expensive, and I don't think they even sell it here in the main island." Machibuse responded, somewhat confirming what Asui said earlier.

"Era what? ...Hey, this is pretty good!" Kirishima asked as he tried the food.

"Erabu is the Okinawan word for sea kraits, those with the black stripes. There is one or two restaurants here in Tokyo that serve Erabujiru, or sea snake soup, but it costs a pretty penny." Ectoplasm explained as Machibuse placed a smaller plate of the same dish on the kitchen counter.

People still wanted to ask what they were actually eating, but Ectoplasm was saying something unintelligible as he ate. Not good news by Machibuse's nervous reaction as he responded in the same gibberish. The group just watched with a great deal of curiosity as they ate, curiosity that only spiked up once Machibuse gestured towards Yaoyorozu.

"Don't cut him any slack, Yaoyorozu. I'm not about to reconsider how low he scored on my exam because of a free meal." Ectoplasm turned with a sigh.

Yaoyorozu chuckled as she nodded, not speaking with a mouthful.

"Is it that bad?" Midoriya asked as he fished for another strip of meat.

"The teachers considered allowing me to retake the midterms because of my situation prior to the Sports Festival, but Aisawa decided against it since I didn't bring the issue to his attention earlier and I cannot disagree." Machibuse explained.

"You have our grades already Sensei?" Asui asked.

"Just those the concern my discipline, but I cannot tell you regardless. Finished going over 1-A's just this morning, and now I need to deal with 1-B's before eight. Tonight is Boogie Night at the karaoke." Ectoplasm responded.

"Just taking a break then?" Jiro mused before stealing one bigger piece of meat from Iida.

"Call me homesick, been a while since I had homemade Okinawan." he responded.

"About that: what exactly are we eating?" Tokoyami asked.

"It's called "Mimiga". Boiled pig ears with salt, vinegar and sesame seeds. It's surprisingly cheap since here in the main island it isn't something normally sold and would otherwise be trashed." Machibuse responded as he turned off the rice cooker and stretched his arms upwards, causing the Chelicerae on his back, arms and hands to stick out for a moment.

All his classmates fell silent for a moment as they looked at one another, some of them still chewing slowly.

"Well, turns out I like pig ears…" Asui admitted with as they resumed eating without a second guess, a collective shrug being their only conclusion to the information.

A wave of sweet savory smell caused heads to turn as Machibuse opened the lid of the large pot that stood on top of the stove.

"Ok... Now that smells good. Don't care if it's snakes, I am eating that." Uraraka meandered towards the kitchen to take a peek at the pot.

"Didn't knew you could cook like this, Machibuse!" Kirishima joined in.

"By now you should all been used to me withholding information." Machibuse took a crack at himself without losing his tone.

"If I have to say anything good about the vulture I call grandmother is that she is a god at the kitchen. She taught me quite a lot about cooking, but I don't find it enjoyable to cook for myself. It feels lonely… so if any of you get a craving for Okinawan food don't hesitate to ask." he added with a sigh.

Ectoplasm commented something in Okinawan before taking a sip of his drink. Machibuse completely dismissed him this time as he started to set a bento box on the counter.

"Someone else is coming?" Iida asked as he joined the line that formed near the kitchen with his plate already in hand.

"Shoji-san maybe. Surprised to not see him here today." Midoriya suggested.

"Shoji-san is in Fukuokka for the weekend. Although he comes to eat here often, so it's not like he is losing on a one-time-only deal." Machibuse responded as he completely lifted the lid of the pot and picked two very nice-looking pieces of meat, setting them alongside the rice, a poached egg and some vegetables.

"So who is the lucky winner?" Tokoyami asked as he got up to join the growing line.

Ectoplasm gave shook his head to the side, it wasn't his bento.

"Ten seconds." Machibuse responded as he finished packing the meal in a colorful cloth, tying a bottle like the one in Ectoplasm's hand within the knot by the neck.

"Huh?" the students in the room looked quizzically.

Precisely ten seconds later someone knocked on the door.

On the balcony door actually.

Edgeshot.

"Greetings." the Ninja Hero spoke as he slid the glass door open, leaving his sandals outside as he walked in.

"Sir." Machibuse greeted as he held out the bento with both hands.

"My gratitude. Suppose your wound has healed." Edgeshot spoke as he picked up the meal with care.

"Combat ready, Sir." Machibuse confirmed.

"Good to hear. Both of you as well?" Edgeshot turned to Iida and Midoriya.

"Y-yes, Sir!" Iida bowed stiffly. Midoriya was still in shock.

Edgeshot acknowledged with a nod.

"Take good care of him for me." the Ninja Hero addressed everyone in the room as he walked out, closed the glass door and jumped off the balcony.

For a moment there was no sound in the apartment.

"Well, that just happened…" Jiro broke the silence.

Machibuse prepared a bowl with similar contents to the bento and handed it to his teacher.

"Single file everyone, there is plenty to go around so don't worry about having seconds." he called out as people recovered.

One by one people exited the kitchen with their meals leaving the first two in line, Uraraka and Kirishima, waiting impatiently for everyone to be served so they could dig in.

"This is called "Rafute". Its skin-on pork belly slow-cooked in Awamori liquor infused with soy sauce and brow sugar. It's traditionally associated with health and longevity, so I suppose it makes sense to make it my first real meal after that surgery." Machibuse explained as he handed Yaoyorozu her bowl, sneaking in an extra piece of pork.

She kicked him in the shin playfully and left with a smile.

Koda was the last one in line.

"Koda-san, I wanted to ask you something." Machibuse kept his voice low as he spoke with the larger teen.

Koda tilted his head in curiosity.

"I feel like you avoid me sometimes, may I ask why?" Machibuse asked with mild worry in his face.

Koda averted his eyes for a moment before he pointed towards Machibuse's palm and made a gesture Machibuse assumed as a sign of fear.

"I guess my Quirk is a little unsightly…" Machibuse mused but Koda interrupted him.

Another nervous gesture. Took a few seconds for Machibuse to understand the message.

"Fear of bugs? Hmm… I can see how my Chelicerae look like a spider's." he spoke.

Koda gave a shy nod.

"No, it's all right. I understand… I sit just behind you and there were plenty of times when I just flaunted these for one reason or another. Can't promise I can help with it during hero training, but I will keep it in mind when we are in class." Machibuse offered.

Koda gave a happy smile.

"Thank you for coming, Koda-san." Machibuse said with a smile of his own as Koda turned to leave.

Soon enough Machibuse prepared his own bowl and joined everyone else in the living room.

"So, how do we say it in Okinawan?" Uraraka asked with a smile worth all the hours of preparation for the meal.

"Kwatchiisabira." Ectoplasm responded as he stifled a laugh.

They jumbled the word for a moment.

"Kwa-tchii-sa-bi-ra." Machibuse broke it down.

They still butchered the pronunciation, but it didn't matter.

Healing was sure to come.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Some slice of life from time to time, why not?**_

 _ **It really bothers me how two months simply fly by in one panel in the original story, so you can expect one or two more chapters before we reach the Final Exams.**_

 _ **I just find Koda to be adorable, been wanting to write down that piece for a while now. Also, thanks to girani4 for suggesting giving the one other Okinawan in U.A. some more attention; Ectoplasm made the lunch scene go a lot smoother than I expected.**_


	22. Gifts

_**We did it guys! 100k words! 100 favorites! Get the champagne out!**_

-.

 **April 18th, Machibuse Residence, 0645.**

 _Fura;_

 _The meeting will happen in the second Friday of May. Someone will come pick you after class._

 _You owe me big for this one. And don't screw up like you usually do._

 _-MH._

Not how Habuka wanted to start his school week.

He sighed and deleted the message.

The bed was really comfy, but he had something else to do besides his usual routine today… a whole nine hundred seconds of sleep were lost, but it was for a good cause.

Took him a few moments to get up, but soon enough he was making his way towards the living room. Normally he would do his morning exercises in his own room, but the place was basically impossible to navigate at the moment since he moved most of the boxes that littered the living room there in order to better accommodate his guests. The only ones that remained were the ones that acted as a table for his television.

Sooner or later he would get rid of the boxes, he didn't even need the things in them. If the shipping back to Okinawa was too expensive he would likely just start giving away the stuff to his neighbors. There was enough tableware in those boxes to equip a small restaurant… what kind of imbecile thought that a teenager living alone would need all that shit? Not only he was a minor, but he was completely immune to the effects of alcohol, yet there was a fucking wine decanter in there for some reason. Was all that crap his parents'?

Either way, now it was not the time to do inventory as twenty-six out of the forty handstand push-ups still remained. Monday's exercises were especially harsh to kick him into high gear.

If anything Hakuba's breakfast was going to be amazing; he left a few boiled eggs marinating in the stock that remained from yesterday's pork.

Yesterday had been a good day. Originally he intended to invite just Momo, but he felt that calling everyone was the right call. Hakuba never had many friends in the Military Academy as people had reasons to avoid him. Close friends like Shoji and Jiro were non-existent back then and he couldn't even fathom finding someone like Momo in Okinawa.

Everything would be good as long as he kept the truth away from them. Not an idea he cherished but it was the only option.

Soon enough he had finished his little workout and now it was time for a good cold shower; Hakuba hadn't used the hot water since the day of his date with Momo about three weeks ago. However the undressing prior to said cold bath revealed another problem as his tan was fading quickly due to Tokyo's weather.

April and May were easily the best months of the year in Okinawa; it wasn't unbearably hot like high summer, but the sun was still strong enough for him to keep his tan without needing periodic sunbaths and the rains were frequent enough for his liking. Living in Tokyo showed him that he was wrong about one thing about hating Okinawa's weather: He did not hate Okinawa's weather itself, the hellish summers bothered him, yes, but what grinded his gears was the fact that he was to deal with the chores of living in a military compound instead of enjoying said weather. Having the classroom window facing the beach was an absolute crime and whoever was responsible for designing the building needed to be called in for martial court.

The thought of having to fit a lounge chair into his already cramped balcony caused his shoulders to slump as he bathed.

That done it was now just a matter of having breakfast and then dealing with his assignment for this morning. Hakuba would change into his uniform afterwards to not dirt the clothes.

Oil was set to heat while eggs, brown sugar and flour were mixed alongside a pinch of yeast and salt and a touch of oil to get everything together.

The scent of fried dough quickly filed the kitchen and minutes later everything was nice and safely packed in a multicolored cloth.

Pleased with his handywork Hakuba then got into his uniform and left to U.A.

This was the first of many gifts like this.

At least he wished so.

-.

 **April 18th, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 0840.**

Shoji arrived alone in class. While that wasn't the standard practice it had happened a couple of times since he and Machibuse found out that they were basically neighbors; Machibuse could actually see the house Shoji lived in from his balcony.

What sparked some confusion was that Shoji arrived carrying his friends bag.

"Huhh… something happened?" Ashido asked as she poked her head through the door.

"Machibuse had to make a stop at 1-H and asked me to drop his bag." Shoji explained as he made way towards the back of the class and placed the bag against tenth seat.

"1-H?" Ashido tilted her head.

"It's Hatsume's if I am not wrong…" Tokoyami responded.

Shoji nodded.

"Apparently it's her birthday, so he made her some sweets."

-.

 **April 20th, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 0845.**

"Here."

"The hell is this, Pinprick?"

"It's called "Sata-Andagi" or just "Andagi" for shorts, it's a sweet given in celebrations back in Okinawa. It's your birthday, isn't it?" Machibuse explained in his usual unexpressive tone as held the small cloth for his classmate.

"…I will fucking murder your ass if you do this again." Bakugo gritted his teeth as he looked away and accepted the gift.

His reaction caused some chuckles across the classroom.

"You can try saying thanks!"

"Bakugo is blushing? Oh god, Bakugo is blushing!"

"SHUT IT YOU WORMS!" Bakugo shouted while pointing an accusatory finger, the death threat left implied.

Machibuse just did his best to keep his face straight and was about to head back to his seat when Hagakure's invisible finger poked him.

"Sooo… Is this a one-time thing or can I expect some as well?" she asked with interest while shifting in her seat.

Machibuse assumed she was trying to take a peek at the cloth's contents, but it was impossible to really tell. Trying to read Hagakure's body language was just about the most confusing thing possible.

"Don't worry about that, I got everyone's birthdays memorized. Yours is on the sixteenth of June." Machibuse responded as he took the opportunity to "look" at Hagakure. The complications of being invisible full time running through his mind… was she _born_ invisible? If so, how did the medics managed the delivery? So many questions.

"Awn who would have guessed you are such a sweetheart!" Hagakure got up and and picked both his hands on hers.

"Still, Pinprick… how'd you know? I don't remember telling you." Bakugo asked as he took a bite of one of the four egg-sized doughnuts he was given.

"Bakugo-kun! You shouldn't eat in the classroom!" Iida adverted as he came rushing to prevent the school's code of conduct from being tarnished.

"Shut up Four-eyes! It would be rude no to try one of these out!" Bakugo retorted as he finished that one sweet and closed the package.

Iida froze for a moment as he realized that Bakugo got him trapped this time. There was no way for the class president to enforce his responsibilities without discouraging Bakugo from being civil.

Bakugo would not admit he like that whatever Machibuse gave him, but his silence was enough.

"I asked Aisawa-sensei to let me have a look at the files from everyone in my class during the first week of school, so I would know beforehand. I memorized everyone's birthdays, birthplaces and even blood types just in case. I am quite good at keeping track of this kind of information." Machibuse explained.

"What now, you going to say you know the girl's measurements as well?" Mineta asked with a somewhat inconspicuous tone.

"Affirmative, albeit I would say my estimates have a margin of error of about one centimeter. I am an archer; being able to gage somebody's anatomy is a practical skill for me to have." Machibuse responded nonchalantly as he wasn't paying attention to exactly who he answered.

"Well my friend, you and I are going to need to discuss about that later on…" Mineta spoke with a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

All the girls turned to Machibuse.

It was a death threat much clearer than any Bakugo could ever attempt.

-.

 **April 20th, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, Gym Delta, 1620.**

The sounds of hand to hand combat filled the arena. Cries followed by the sound of feet pushing against the floor to propel punches and kicks.

Arena Three wasn't, as the name implied, the only fighting space available for the U.A. students, but it surely was the one that garnered most of the attention from the small number of onlookers in the gym.

Inside the ring a female student warded off the multilayered attacks from her sparing partner. Sudden dives into handstands, low sweeps that came from nowhere, rolls and somersaults made every move a possible trap.

Kendo Itsuka made the right call in inviting Yaoyorozu's "boyfriend" for sparring. Class 1-B had some very good hand-to-hand fighters and she even squared off against Ojiro a couple of times, but Machibuse was a beast in his own right.

Been a while since she had been stuck on defense like this.

Kendo bobbed to the left as she dodged Machibuse's leg coming down on her shoulder, she immediately jolted back in his direction with a shoulder check to knock him out of balance and away from her.

Machibuse offered no resistance, rather he allowed her to push as to roll back into as fighting stance while minimizing the damage.

She was now on the offensive as she closed in with a combination of punches that forced Machibuse to hold his guard.

With one swift spin he dropped to a crouch and swept at Kendo's legs to trip her forcing her to backstep.

Keeping his momentum he pounced after her.

Kendo stepped in with a spin as she deflected a palm strike aimed at her jaw with her right forearm, her left hand quickly trusting at Machibuse's stomach.

Machibuse quickly jumped as he spun his hips, one knee guiding Kendo's hand off to the side while the other jutted forward to strike, forcing her to jump back again while he landed poised to dash after her. Machibuse was one movement ahead.

"Ok, you win this one…" Kendo sighed as she rose her hand.

Both of them left the ring and made way towards the small robot that handle the allocation of the fighting space. There were always more people wanting to use the rings than there were rings available since Gyms Gamma and Delta were open to the students of U.A. without the need of a teacher's permission from 1600 to 1900, so there was a queue system for the arenas.

"With our without Quirks on the next one?" Kendo asked as the robot printed a ticket for each of them.

"Suppose we might try stepping up the level. Although I might regret agreeing with being on the receiving end of yours." Machibuse responded as he took the piece of paper with his name.

"Flattery will not get you out of this, you know." Kendo chuckled.

"It's not flattery, you have much more striking power and reach than I do. I am simply stating a fact, Kendo-san." Machibuse responded with his usual monotone voice.

" _How does Yaoyorozu deals with this guy?"_ Kendo blinked twice in confusion, she was told about the protocol speech but actually dealing with it was still an interesting experience.

"Regardless, we need to wait our turn. Shall we take a seat?" he asked, motioning towards the bleachers that ran up one of the gym's walls.

"Sure, just need to stop by the water fountain." Kendo agreed.

Machibuse nodded.

They waited silence, there was a small line in front of the fountain, but soon enough they were done and seated waiting for their names to be called.

"I have to admit that I was surprised when you contacted me once the news about my injuries in Hosu were made public. I am grateful for your concern, but I am curious as to why you did it." Machibuse spoke somewhat out of the blue as he turned towards Kendo.

"Yaoyorozu and I were sharing a room while at Uwabami's. We were watching the news coverage together… she took it pretty bad when it was reported that you were in critical state. She was about to make a cellphone just to call you because she had misplaced hers or something, but she ended up finding it. I think it was Iida-san who picked the call… but her screaming "What do you mean he got a sword through the stomach!?" got me worried as well. Asked Honenuki-san for your number later that day." Kendo explained.

"Permission to break protocol?" Machibuse asked.

"…Sure." Kendo responded. She also had been warned about this, and actually wanted to see it by herself to believe.

"I knew Momo would go ballistic once she received the news, so I may have kinda thrown Iida-san under the bus in my place… the whole Stain situation was kind of his fault, so yeah…" Machibuse confessed, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"You and Monoma would get along very well…" Kendo mused as she quirked an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?" Machibuse asked as he didn't quite hear what she said.

"Nothing!" she responded quickly.

He was clearly not convinced.

There was a moment of awkward silence.

"By the way, about you two…" Kendo changed the topic.

"Suppose I can't really dodge that questioning after what you saw." Machibuse sighed knowing what was to come.

"Are you two actually together?" Kendo asked.

"Negative." Machibuse responded.

"It is not a one-sided thing, right? I mean, it's clear that she likes you and I will get the girls from both your class and mine to beat you up if you are just leading her around." Kendo joked, albeit some of the threat felt real.

Machibuse chuckled lightly.

"I assure you that lynching me won't be necessary, Kendo-san. I will admit that it took me a while to accept it, but what I feel for her is true." he answered.

"Then why? It's not like you two are even doing a good job at hiding it…" Kendo teased as their names were assigned to Arena Five, their turn would come in just a few minutes.

"I asked for some time, I have some ghosts that I need to deal with. It would be… inconsiderate for me to drag her along to say the least." Machibuse admitted as they got up and began heading towards their destination.

Thankfully Kendo didn't push.

"She has been acting a little off since the Sports Festival and refuses to tell me why. Anything that caught your attention when you two were together at Uwabami's?" Machibuse asked as they now stood to the side of Arena Five. In there were two male students; one muscular blonde and one leaner with indigo hair. A lot of people had their eyes on them for some reason even if they were just going over some very basic exercises.

The later seemed very unease with the crowd.

Relatable.

"Hmm… I'd say our experience with Uwabami was on the shallower side of things, we basically only got to do PR. The publicity is nice and all, but nothing "heroic" happened." Kendo pondered trying to recall anything out of the ordinary.

Less than a minute later the timer on the arena beeped and it was their turn.

"There was that one time when Yaoyorozu said something about "not being a worthy student"… didn't really asked her about that though."

-.

 **April 20th, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, Gym Delta, 1650.**

The timer started ringing. Their playtime had ended.

Twenty minutes of combat went by much faster than expected even if neither of them went all out.

Machibuse and Kendo came to an agreement about the rules of their fights, Machibuse would be declared winner if he managed to tag Kendo with his Chelicerae and Kendo would be declared winner if she stopped Machibuse from moving.

Each of them won once; Kendo took the first win by surprising Machibuse with how fast she could increase the size of her hands, pinning him against the floor with an overhead swing that she intentionally missed to lead him to move how she wanted before growing her hand as he rolled away. Machibuse took the second victory by exploiting one weakness he had found on Kendo's fighting style: similarly to Bakugo she was uncomfortable fighting at clinch distance as it was hard for her to make the narrow movements without turning her Quirk off.

Edgeshot's lessons about grappling came very much into play when Machibuse used the Chelicerae on the inside of his right elbow to tag Kendo under the arm. Machibuse just poked her with the chitin weapon but it still drew some blood. He would need to think about a way to go about these sparing matches without hurting his partner.

Their last bout ended in a weird tie situation; Kendo managed to restrain Machibuse, but both of them realized that he would still pierce the flesh of her giant hand if he used the Chelicerae on his lower back, the ones he normally used to load his arrows and caltrops.

Both of them were greeted in a way Machibuse wasn't expecting as they left the arena.

"GREAT WORK SHOWING THIS DISPICABLE CLASS A HIS PLACE IN THE FOOD CHAIN!" Monoma shouted as he posed. Behind him were a few other members of Class 1-B, expressions reprimanding Monoma to various degrees.

"Technically speaking he won two to one because earlier we fought without using our Quirks. And can you stop antagonizing them?" Kendo sighed.

Monoma's expression twitched slightly.

"If he is referring just to me as despicable then I can't really contest the claim." Machibuse commented before bowing towards the group. He knew all of Class 1-B's faces and names, mostly due to the Cavalry Battle teams. Alongside Monoma Neito were Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, Kuroiro Shihai, Komori Kinoko, Tsunotori Pony and both his fellow recommended students Tokage Setusna and Honenuki Juzo. The last two being the only ones in he had any kind of familiarity as every so often they had lunch together.

It didn't escape Machibuse how Tokage had a knowing grin across her face. Of all the girls of Class 1-B she was the one Machibuse dreaded to imagine witnessing his little moment with Momo in the hallway. Now she would be a thorn as big as Ashido.

"Suppose I am intruding into something." Machibuse spoke as he felt somewhat out of place and gravitated towards the people he knew.

"Sorry, guess I forgot to tell you that they would come to meet me here… You see, its Pony's birthday tomorrow, but since we also got Basic Hero Training tomorrow we decided to go out to celebrate today." Kendo explained, a little flustered for failing to inform her sparring partner.

"Oh." Machibuse mused as he turned towards Pony. Apparently everyone decided to have their birthdays this week, good thing he had ingredients for a batch or two of his little gifts. Wouldn't hurt to build some bridges with the class across the hallway.

She was studying him with clear confusion.

"Pony is from the United States, she gets like that when she is trying to remember a specific word in Japanese." Honenuki explained.

Machibuse was about to switch to English to ask if she needed any help, but realization came to her expression before he could speak. Kendo's eyes widened when she realized what was about to happen; the ones that saw Machibuse and Yaoyorozu that day were her, Tokage and…

"Casanova!" Pony exclaimed in a cheerful and innocent tone as she pointed towards Machibuse, clearly pleased for using a foreign word for the first time.

Togake's sides basically exploded in laughter.

Machibuse was just left stunned.

-.

 **April 25th, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 1550.**

"That is all for today… Machibuse, I need to have a word with you. Everyone else is dismissed." Aisawa sighed as he closed the book he was holding.

"May I ask what it is about, Sensei?" Machibuse questioned as he stored his school supplies into his bag.

"Don't worry, it will be quick. I just have a request for you, but I need to make it private. Meet me in the teacher's office." Aisawa responded as he left the classroom.

Machibuse just nodded as he finished with getting everything back into his bag.

"Want us to wait for you at the school gates?" Shoji asked as he approached. Having two extra pairs of hands made him ridiculously fast at these manual tasks like storing school supplies.

"Don't worry about it, at least the two of you. Even if Aisawa-sensei told me it was going to be quick I don't want you to have to wait another train because of me." Machibuse responded as he turned to Kirishima and Ashido, who were also expecting the answer.

He quickly turned his eyes to Yaoyorozu, today she would come home with him to help him catching up with his studies. She just motioned for him to go, she would wait as well.

With that Machibuse slung his bag over his shoulder and made way towards the teacher's office, reaching it's door just as Ectoplasm opened it to leave.

" _What did you do?"_ the teacher asked in Okinawan.

Machibuse just dropped his stoic face for a moment and shrugged unknowingly, rising his hands to affirm his innocence.

Ectoplasm just closed his eyes and shook his head, holding the door open for his student to get inside.

In the room were some of the teachers packing up to leave. Midnight, noticing the student who just walked in, pointed to a desk on the far corner of the room where Aisawa was waiting.

He was not alone however.

"Major." Machibuse greeted as he approached Shinso and his homeroom teacher.

"So you are getting dragged into this?" Shinso asked as greeted Machibuse.

"Only if he agrees." Aisawa spoke.

Both the students turned to him.

"I've been in contact with Shinso since the Sports Festival. We have been going over some basic training after school to prepare him to whatever test he has to take in order to get in the Hero Course… What kind of test will it be is still up to be decided, but that doesn't matter at the moment." Aisawa explained.

"The gap in physical abilities between you two is rather wide but Machibuse is versatile enough for you to not get too used to his fighting in a short amount of time… Machibuse, how are you after school? I'd like to enlist your help in order to get Shinso up to speed. Mostly during the second semester, but there are some things that would go much smoother with an extra pair of hands over the next few weeks as well." he added.

Aisawa wanted him to help with Shinso's training.

"I have some catching up to do because of the midterms, Yaoyorozu-san is helping me out. But I can still manage one or two days every week, Sensei." Machibuse responded without a second guess. Shinso deserved the help.

After all, Machibuse was unsure about his own capabilities at passing the regular entrance exam and had the luck to be recommended. He would likely be in Shinso's place otherwise.

"Very well. Shinso, you agree with this?" Aisawa turned to his pupil.

"I am taking all the help I can get, Eraser." Shinso admitted as he scratched the back of his head.

"Its decided then. Machibuse, you and I will discuss the scheduling over the week. This stays between the three of us. Dismissed… Shinso, get changed and me met at Ground Gamma in twenty minutes." Aisawa concluded as he turned to finish with the paperwork in his desk.

Both students bowed and left. They would take opposite directions soon enough so Machibuse was just about to say goodbye. He could actually see both Yaoyorozu and Shoji waiting for him

"I never thanked you properly for what you did back there, and then you show up again and agree to help me without even thinking about." Shinso spoke as he bowed sharply.

"It's not like Aisawa-sensei would have not contacted you either way, Major. Please, you owe this to yourself." Machibuse responded.

"I am trying to be nice, _Captain_ , so shut up." Shinso complained as he straightened his back.

Machibuse stifled a laugh as they both took their respective paths.

His classmates eyed him curiously from the doorway that led to the school gate.

"Can't say I was expecting to see him." Shoji spoke as they started moving.

"I will just assume that this is more classified information and save myself the trouble of asking." Yaoyorozu jabbed as she eyed Shinso for a moment before he disappeared into another hallway.

Machibuse just nodded in gratitude.

"Will it ever come a day when you will stop with these secrets?" she sighed in defeat.

That question echoed in Machibuse's head for a moment.

"I really hope so, ma'am."

-.

 **May 2nd, Machibuse Residence, 1745.**

Surprisingly enough Machibuse's post-school schedule got pretty dense pretty fast; Momo would come help him three times a week and he would rotate between sparing with Kendo and helping Shinso once a week. There was a day left open in the week, so he could juggle everything around if needed.

Currently he was siting besides Momo, various notes on math assembled over the kitchen counter they repurposed as a desk. Mathematics and the topics related to hero society were the two biggest problems on Hakuba's academic life.

"I am aware I asked this about the last formula, but what practical use does this one have?" Hakuba complained as he stared blankly at the digits in front of him.

"It has the very practical use of getting you through the semester, it that good enough?" Momo sighed as she half-dismissed the question, she was not going to fall on that argument again. Hakuba was unsurprisingly good at math and she knew that… but getting him to actually see why he needed to learn algebraic formulas and geometry was a hurdle bigger than actually getting him to deal with the exercises. The Military Academy taught him to always strive for efficiency and that was made evident in all the worst possible ways when he immediately eye-balled the length of a geometric figure and put it to scale rather than using the proper equation to find out the dimensions of its sides.

He wasn't wrong, but then again, he would fail the exam by default if he didn't used the specified method.

"Hardly, ma'am. But I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Hakuba rolled his eyes in defeat as he took to studying the exercise as she lectured him about how to solve it.

The first two or three took him some effort, but Momo could se that he was making progress fast once he understood the formula.

"Don't think I am not seeing you skipping the steps." Momo scolded as she had to stop him from cutting corners every so often.

"What is efficiency but applied laziness?" Hakuba responded as he turned to face her with a quirked eyebrow.

"Less sass and more mathematics." Momo pointed towards the exercise, unamused by his response.

"Yes, ma'am!" Hakuba straightened his back before resuming his work.

At this rate they would finish with math by the end of the week and would be free to tackle hero studies, Hakuba's worst discipline and, unfortunately for him, the one that weighted the most on the final results. He was the only one in class to actually score less than ten percent of that particular test and that caused him to land in seventeenth place on the midterm results; Hakuba had only scored above Aoyama, Ashido and Kaminari.

Apparently if you get a student that had little to no prior interest in hero society, dumped him into a school for heroes against his will, had him go through two weeks of panic prior to an event he dreaded to attend and to top it all off got him to be stabbed by a sociopathic murderer it would lead to bad grades. Who would have guessed…

Momo fully expected Hakuba to be the bottom liner of the midterms, but not only he had aced English, as expected from someone proficient in the language, but also had attained two surprisingly solid results in both Literature and Arts for someone so rooted in military culture. Maybe it was the fact that those were the things he had less exposition prior coming to U.A. and that peaked his interest.

In about ten or so minutes Hakuba had finished the two remaining questions of the chapter.

"Suppose this will do for today… I will need to get going in thirty minutes or so, so it doesn't make sense we start the next chapter." Momo spoke as she went over his exercises. There were some very minor mistakes here and there, but nothing that would hurt him in the long run as they had mostly to do with him trying to cut corners. She just circled the mistakes in red and gave him a knowing look before heading to his couch and turning on the television.

Hakuba quickly went over the circled mistakes and resigned to not skip anything next time. He soon joined her in the couch just in time for a certain hairspray commercial to pop-up. It was not the first time neither of them had seen in, but it was the first time it happened to be on television while they were together.

Hakuba turned to Momo but she spoke before he had the chance.

"Don't you dare." She spoke, clearly embarrassed as she turned her eyes away from him.

"Why not?" he teased, his monotone voice giving off some of his amusement by her reaction.

Took her a moment to respond.

Her expression turned a little disappointed.

"Because I am already spending a lot of time alone with the guy I like without being able to approach how I want to… having you flattering me doesn't make things any easier, you know…" Momo admitted, visibly anguished as she now looked away from him.

That hit Hakuba like a freight train.

How long had Momo kept that bottled up?

How didn't he notice before?

Hakuba felt like shit for doing this with her.

"Sorry ma'am, I didn't mean to…" Hakuba started.

"Don't call me "ma'am"… At least not while we are alone. I like it when you say my name." Momo interrupted him, he cheeks blushing slightly as she made that small confession.

A small smile formed on the corner of Hakuba's mouth.

"Sorry Momo, I didn't think it would be like this for you… I…" Hakuba apologized, but once more he was interrupted.

This time by Momo closing the distance and wrapping her arms around his body, her cheek nuzzled against his chest.

"Just hold me for a moment, idiot… like you did back then…" she asked.

Hakuba tightly embraced her.

"For as long as you want, Momo…"

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Been some time since I last gave you guys some "romance"…**_

 _ **The OC's incompetence to deal with the girl he loves aside, I was supposed to tell you guys that I will be doing my take on the Two Heroes movie last update, but I kinda forgot to do it… my b. Crosswald, many thanks for making me remember to do it this time! And no, the whole ticket to I-Island will be not acquired in a way you guys are expecting, in fact it was that very thought process that convinced me to start drafting the chapters about the movie.**_

 _ **You guys have no idea how much time I spent on looking around Okinawan cookbooks and such. Actually tried to cook some of those sweets Machibuse gives away on people's birthdays as they are pretty easy to do.**_

 _ **And yes, been a while since my boy Shinso last showed up. But now he will need to deal with not only Aisawa, but with Machibuse as well. Mostly because I am too impatient to wait for this story to reach the two-hundred-ish chapters of the manga to come back to Shinso.**_

 _ **Ah, and stay keen about Machibuse's interactions with Class 1-B. As many of you observed, I don't just throw these plotlines around without reason.**_

 _ **Till next time!**_


	23. Door of Truth

_**I was thinking about splitting this chapter into two just to tease you guys with a cliffhanger, but fucking hell, 20k views in two months! You guys deserve the whole deal!**_

-.

 **May 3rd, Saitama, Sumida Riverbank, 0545.**

Air was still cold as the first rays of sunlight creeped over the horizon.

Hakuba had started to run a little over two hours ago. Sleep had been troubled, and he knew very much why.

He had jolted awake drenched in sweat from a familiar nightmare; the scent of smoke and saltwater still vivid in his mind, the accursed sensation of eyes frantically searching for him still burning in his subconscious as he remembered every second, from when it started the crushing silence that filled the air afterwards.

The ink in his shoulder itched as if it crawled under his skin.

Yet, like he usually did, he ran away from facing truth.

He did so quite literally.

By his accounts Hakuba had ran almost forty kilometers and likely had already left Tokyo. Luckily he had no school today otherwise he would need to take an express train back to Shinjuku and he had only a limited amount of credit on his pass, likely not enough for that.

Taking to follow the rails as a way to find the nearest train station Hakuba could only wonder for how much longer he would be able to do it. He had grown accustomed to keeping himself locked away and would've likely continued indifferent to the sensation, but now he felt the air in his closed-off room running out as if someone had lit a fire on it.

The door had been barred, nailed shut and chained from his side. He couldn't simply open it again. He had been suffocating in there for longer than he knew, only realizing now that a breath of fresh air entered through the gaps of the doorway. Someone had finally walked by the corridor outside… he wanted to knock in despair for that someone to help him break through the door.

But that…

At that point it wasn't the nightmare painted on the walls of that room that scared him; he had grown used to those images as if they were part of him.

No. what scared him was that whoever tried to save him from that room would inevitably had to see the inside of it, and if the truth scared his savior away the door would shut forever like if the doorway collapsed.

If that happened he would have to smother the fire with his own skin and resign to never leave because of the scars.

Hakuba boarded the train to Shinjuku and slumped over the empty seats as he searched for a way out of his conundrum.

In about forty-five minutes he had reached his apartment, still earlier than he would wake up normally, and since he had already more than dealt with the morning routine he found himself with nothing to do; it was Golden Week after all, he had no school this week.

He turned on the television and sat down on the couch. Numbly shifting through the small number of channels for a few minutes in hopes of finding something remotely interesting he stumbled across a familiar commercial…

" _Such charm! Such volume! Such luxury!"_

Hakuba mindlessly turned towards what became her side of the couch, not denying that he had a glint of hope that Momo would be there.

Obviously she wasn't.

Truth be told, Hakuba didn't expected her to show up to help him study yesterday, given that it was Golden Week and all. Strictly speaking, the second day of May wasn't really one of the holydays but still… Now that he thought about it, maybe that's why she got like that. It had less to do with studying and more with just with them spending some time together.

No wonder she left so downcast, didn't even allowed him to walk her to the station.

They hadn't spoken since she left, one or two messages related to the math exercises but nothing about… that.

Momo was the one person trying to open the metaphorical door, and he was just making her more and more frustrated.

He should've realized sooner.

He truly deserved to be called an idiot.

-.

 **May 10th, U.A. Highschool Cafeteria, 1230.**

"I have something I need to attend to, see you guys back in class." Yaoyorozu excused herself politely as got up and left with her empty food tray in hands.

"Uh, sure…" Jiro responded mildly confused as the girl sitting by her side walked away.

Shoji just popped an eye as to watch both Yaoyorozu and Machibuse at the same time.

Machibuse didn't even move, much less responded. He just continued his meal in silence.

"Okay. You going to tell us what happened between you two or do I need to call her back to explain?" Jiro questioned as she crossed her arms over the table.

"Nothing happened." Machibuse responded once he placed his bowl down on the table.

"Don't you fucking dare… You two were all jumpy around each other less than two weeks ago and have been for a while, holding hands under the table and such, yet yesterday you didn't even look at each other… now this!" Jiro protested.

"That's actually the issue, Lieutenant. _Nothing happened._ We haven't talked since last Monday… And it is absolutely my fault." Machibuse admitted, his body tensing as he wanted to hide his face, but the protocol wouldn't permit.

"O-oh." Jiro's expression turned to one of realization.

"Since that day?" Shoji sighed.

"Some… minor incidents have occurred, but I can understand that she feels like I've been leading her around." Machibuse responded.

"The hell you mean by "since that day"!?" Jiro questioned in surprise, that was news for her.

"I might not have told the whole story when I was asked about that date after the Sports Festival. I apologize." Machibuse confessed.

"I ran into them going back to the station. The morning after they had their date." Shoji explained why he knew.

"Who else knows?" Jiro questioned.

"From our class it's just you two, albeit I think Asui-san likely found out when we were at my apartment after the midterms, if not she is getting really close… It's likely common knowledge for Class 1-B however as Kendo-san and some of the other girls witnessed one of said minor incidents." Machibuse responded with a sigh.

"Surprised that Monoma hasn't told our class just out of spite…" Jiro mused.

Machibuse and Shoji just nodded in agreement.

"So you two are dating? …or at least were?" Jiro asked, deciding to save certain questions for later.

"Negative." Machibuse responded.

"And why is that? I might not be a specialist on the matter, but I can tell that both of you want to." Shoji pushed, part of the phrase coming from his actual mouth while another he just created finished the sentence.

"I asked for some time. And that is how we got here." Machibuse once more kept information to a minimum.

"And I can see from a mile away that you didn't bother with telling her why you wanted to wait and that's why now she is getting frustrated." Jiro concluded.

"Permission to break protocol?" Machibuse asked

His two friends turned love-doctors agreed tiredly.

"How the fuck am I supposed to tell her something like that?"

-.

 **May 10th, U.A. Highschool Ground Beta, 1320.**

" _ANY OF YOU FEELING NOSTALGIC!? BECAUSE TODAY'S BASIC HERO TRAINING IS GOING TO BE A BLAST FROM THE PAST! IT'S ON YOU FUTURE ALL MIGHT!"_ A recording of All Might came online on a billboard as the students made their way into the mock city. Apparently All Might had recorded that on their first class on the second day of school.

"NOW THE PRESENT ME IS HERE!" he bellowed as he landed in front of his students. That by far had been the most impressive entrance schtick to date.

"You all have come a long way since that day! But today we return to make a comparison between what you are and what you once were! Teams of two, playing villains and heroes! Capture the enemy or win the objective!" All Might explained as he led his students towards the observation room.

"Sensei! Will we be paired in the same teams as last time?" Iida asked immediately as both he and Bakugo exchanged glances.

"A very good question! No! Teams are still going to be random, but to shake things up we are going to change two things! None of you will be paired with your partner from last time or face the same enemies! This, however, means you can still be paired with someone you faced previously or face a former ally!" the teacher responded, somehow striking a pose mid-step.

Reactions varied. Iida was far more relaxed now that he wouldn't need to be paired with Bakugo again, Hagakure and Ojiro were relieved about not fighting Todoroki a second time and Sero was visibly less concerned about being drugged again.

And nobody wanted to see Midoriya and Bakugo going at it again... Perhaps that was the reason behind the new rules.

Soon enough they arrived at the observation room where the student's names were already on display on the main monitor.

Aisawa was already in the room, just getting out of his sleeping bag.

"Now now, find your dance partner and we will be starting to sort things out!" All Might instructed as he pressed the button to sort the teams.

The computer took its sweet time to finish, likely to build up tension for no reason.

Machibuse didn't really cared for that, his surgical mask hiding the flat, unamused expression on his lips behind the drawn smile.

But soon his expression turned far more serious.

 _ **BATTLE NUMBER ONE: TEAM A (HEROES) – MIDORIYA IZUKU & IIDA TENYA VERSUS TEAM D (VILLAINS) – YAOYOROZU MOMO & MACHIBUSE HAKUBA.**_

The two who normally walked side by side on these occasions now exchanged glances from across the room.

Definitely not the quality time they needed to spend together.

-.

 **May 10th, U.A. Highschool Ground Beta, Observation Room, 1340.**

"Man, this one is going to be a hell of a 3D chess game…" Kaminari commented as everyone watched the villain team setting up their last traps. Poisoned caltrops, barred doors, party snappers hidden under the floor tiles Machibuse pried with his Chelicerae or flares hooked to almost invisible wire laid down by Yaoyorozu. Those two would've turned the building into something straight from a Christmas comedy film if given more than ten minutes.

"If they pull **that** **one** off then it will be fucking wild though." Kirishima was barely capable of keeping amusement in check.

The cheekiest, most Machibuse, move possible however was what they did to the bomb.

"But seriously now; I really don't want to have a go against those two… Iida and Midoriya have good heads on their shoulders, but I really can't picture a scenario where they outthink the class' smartest and the class' trickiest working together." Ojiro spoke as he watched the hero team making their way towards the designed building.

"And you just know that those two are waaaaay in sync, so their teamwork will be on point!" Ashido added, huddling closer to All Might in hopes to overhear what they were saying over the com.

"Momo-chan looks nervous…" Asui observed.

"Huh?" Uraraka quirked and eyebrow.

Jiro and Shoji quickly looked to each other, weighting how much the fallout their friends had would hurt the teamwork.

"Think Iida and Midoriya will try to brute force it?" Kirishima pondered loudly as he remembered the two times he and Machibuse had charged at each other and how both times ended.

"It's their best bet in my opinion. If the Sports Festival showed me anything is that you cannot give time to fighters like the two villains over there." Tokoyami responded.

"Then again, it's not like our two lovebirds have not accounted for that possibility and planned accordingly." Sero mused as the two villains spoke briefly before getting into position.

Kaminari sighed loudly.

"I'd really hate to deal with smartass villains…"

-.

 **May 10th, U.A. Highschool Ground Beta, 1340.**

"You seriously think that they will fall for something like that?" Yaoyorozu, despite everything, couldn't hide her amusement.

"Is there a better place to hide a tree than in the forest? We are dealing with two enemies that are likely to overthink and whose last attempt at this exercise was resolved by objective play. There is the possibility that the two might enter through a window, but the traps will make it easy for us to find them in here. And if they do come by that door it's just a matter of leading them away from the first floor as soon as we start." Machibuse explained as he studied the results of their labor.

"And are you certain you can escape from those two?" Yaoyorozu asked as she finished inspecting the carefully laid out traps on the first floor.

"That's why I trust you have my back, Momo." Machibuse spoke as he walked towards his partner.

Yaoyorozu gave him a deadpan stare as she crossed her arms under her chest.

"Despite everything you are still one person I've always wanted to be teamed with, and we were lucky enough to have it happening on a scenario that benefits both of us. When you think about it we only worked together in a combat scenario during the USJ, and that was basically for one attack." Machibuse explained as he now stood in front of her.

"This is you telling me to be professional and keep _that_ off the table?" Yaoyorozu spoke in a cold tone he only heard from her once or twice.

Took Machibuse a moment to respond.

"I won't be doing such, being strictly professional with you will be detrimental for our teamwork… but I understand that you might feel otherwise at the moment." Machibuse admitted.

"That's your apology?" Yaoyorozu asked visibly disappointed.

"There is no excuse for what I did; I was selfish and insensible to your feelings for far too long. You mean too much for me and I shouldn't have behaved like I did, so I understand if you want to walk away." Machibuse answered, eyes visibly sad contrasting with the silly smile he had drawn on.

She remained silent.

"Still, I would like to ask you to come home with me today." he asked while unfolding his bow. They had less than two minutes before the combat.

"Suppose I still need to help you with your studies…" Momo sighed, thinking about how their relationship now just amounted to that.

She stiffened in surprise for a moment when she felt his forehead pressed against hers, his free hand pulling her closer gently as he actually had to stand on his toes and on the Chelicerae on his soles. She was already taller than him by a small amount, but the fact that he was basically barefoot while she wore boots made the difference sharper.

"I'm going to give you the truth today, Momo… Now let us give those two their share of trouble. We are villains for the next nine hundred seconds." Hakuba whispered with a clear smile underneath his mask before taking a couple of steps back and bowing sharply as he apologized for breaking protocol without permission.

Momo was still absolutely flustered when she took her position.

She had almost given up.

Almost.

-.

 **May 10th, U.A. Highschool Ground Beta, Observation Room, 1344.**

"YES!"

Ashido was basically shouting her lungs out in glee as the image of her ship setting sail appeared on the main monitor with surprisingly on point close-up.

Reactions to the scene varied: Mineta felt as if part of him died there. Kaminari just hyped the achievement as if it furthered some kind of secret agenda between the boys. Kirishima was busy muttering something about manliness as he clenched his fist at the height of his chest. Uraraka had a beaming smile in her face that slowly turned to a nervous one as her imagination started to act, unconsciously turning to the screen that showed the hero team. Todoroki just pondered if Machibuse had forgotten about the cameras.

All Might and Aisawa quickly exchanged glances, neither of them really approved of Machibuse's secret being told to more people, but if he had decided to do so by his own volition then it was probably fine.

"Told you he would do it today." Shoji turned to Jiro, keeping his voice low.

"You know what? I'm not even mad that lost that bet! How many takoyaki was it?"

-.

 **May 10th, U.A. Highschool Ground Beta, 1345.**

Completely oblivious to what just had occurred inside the target building, Midoriya and Iida discussed their "plan of action" as they waited for the signal to enter, battle would begin at any moment

"Truth be told, we drew the short stick…" Midoriya sighed as he tried to consider every possibility.

"Team F is Todoroki-kun and Tokoyami-kun. Would you have preferred to go against that?" Iida questioned as mentally went over their opening move.

"I mean, that would be hard to beat, but at least we could plan for it. Yaoyorozu-san has literally every tool at her disposal and she knows how to formulate a plan. On top of that we are going to have to deal with Machibuse-san perverting every kind of strategy she comes up with to exploit every mistake we make... giving them the homefield advantage only makes the situation worse for us. We can win one-on-one as long as we are careful about it since we are physically stronger, but we can't even take two-on-one as guaranteed because one of them can simply be acting as bait while the other hides… it's easy to imagine that Machibuse-san is at ready in any of the blind spots inside that building." Midoriya explained his concerns.

"And we can't stray far from each other. It's game over if one of us is taken by surprise. We will have to progress slowly… I will take the lead, Machibuse's arrows likely cannot hit me through my armor." Iida concluded as the bell rung.

Both heroes took a deep breath as Ingenium and Deku forced the double doors open with great care.

An arrow immediately came flying towards one of them forcing both to step away from the door.

White Rider almost took one of them down the instant they opened the door.

"He is on the offensive!?" Deku eyes were shot open as he asked loudly.

Ingenium shrugged unknowingly in response.

Deku was visibly confused as he now ran the possibility of the villains foreseeing how he and Ingenium would overthink and would exploit that to strike quickly.

It took the heroes a few seconds of thinking before Iida turned his head swiftly towards his partner.

"Midoriya-kun! We are wasting time out here!" Ingenium shouted.

Was that first shot just a trap to get them on their toes?

Or was it a trick to get them to rush inside by thinking that stalling for time was the motive behind that shot?

Overthinking as the villains expected.

Both heroes took another deep breath. Regardless of which one was it they would not get any closer to winning by just standing there.

They rushed inside, intending on quickly closing the distance on the archer.

White Rider had vanished.

Once more the heroes stopped in their tracks.

"Is that their strategy? Forcing us to stop over and over?" Deku asked as he studied the room. First floor was mostly open with about a dozen concrete pillars scattered about. The stairway towards the second level was clearly visible. Plenty of options for someone like Machibuse to hide.

Roof was also rather tall… perfect for someone that could run up walls and was trained by a ninja like Edgeshot.

Deku quickly looked up in time to spot White Rider drawing his bow as the hooks on his feet kept him from falling. He was literally crouched upside down.

"IIDA, DODGE!" Deku shouted as he jumped towards the "villain".

Ingenium didn't understood what had happened, but he wasn't about to argue as he quickly dashed forward before an arrow struck his position.

White Rider jumped down towards the ground as to avoid the incoming punch, rolling once his shoulder met the floor.

"First strike failed. Heading to your location." he spoke over the com as he ran towards the stairs.

"STOP RIGHT THERE, CRIMINAL SCUM!" Ingenium was quickly upon him.

"SILVER TARGET IS ON ME! NOW!" White Rider shouted towards one of the pillars immediately once the speedster cut his escape.

Ingenium instantly turned his head.

His eyes shot open when he realized what was about to happen.

"Recipro Burst!" the hero shouted as his engines propelled him away from the villain by his side.

He felt fingers brushing against his unarmored shoulder. Yaoyorozu wasn't there, it was only a distraction to get that hit in.

White Rider disappeared in the smoke created by his opponent.

Deku rushed towards the stairs. He only had a moment to spot the second villain hiding behind one of the pillars.

A moment of hesitation from Creati allowed him to jump away from the net cast in his direction before both villains ran up to the second floor.

Ingenium could've given chase while his Engines were still running, but that would leave him with very little time to fight, and that would go against their initial plan of sticking together to avoid ambushes.

Now they had to wait for Iida's Engines to cool down before going up.

"That was very close." Ingenium admitted as he glanced towards his shoulder.

"Back in Hosu Stain said that he and Machibuse-san were similar, suppose that's why…" Deku mused as they waited.

"I'd prefer not to compare our classmate to that madman…" Ingenium sighed as he fanned the exhausts in his legs with his hand, his expression hidden beneath his helmet.

"Yeah, sorry…" Deku looked to the floor, that wasn't very considerate of him.

"Let's go, we are still on the first of six floors and time is in their favor." Ingenuim spoke as he began climbing the stairs.

According to the map they were given all floors besides the first were of similar layout, various corridors that linked anything between three to six rooms.

There was no sign of the villains but then again that was the case with the floor below, so the heroes had to walk with care. Didn't took long for one of them to stumble into one of the traps…

 _*POP*_

Both Deku and Ingenium jumped back away from the sound.

"…"

"…"

Nothing happened.

They watched the suspicious tile with great care before deciding that it was not worth their limited time.

Not ten steps later Deku felt something on his leg.

"String?" he asked in confusion.

Immediately the corridor was flooded with thick smoke.

The villains casually waited on the floor above. White Rider was quick to pick up the scent of the flare.

"How many of those did you place?" he asked plucked and arrow from the quiver on his arm and injected the shaft with chemicals.

"Just three…" Creati began, but a loud bang interrupted right on cue. "…Mostly to distract them from the flashbang."

" _A woman after my own heart."_ Hakuba smiled under the mask.

"And what is that you are loading?" Creati asked intrigued, she knew about the arrows Hatsume Mei had designed, but had never seen the full set in action.

"This one has yet to see any real scenario… _"Adorable Baby Number Twenty-Nine"_ ; effectively speaking it's a nail bomb. Didn't named it properly yet." White Rider explained.

"That doesn't sound very safe." Creati responded, slightly worried.

"That was my reaction when Hatsume first showed me the thing. And I quote her response: _"It is the absolute safest nail bomb ever designed!"_ … apparently the shrapnel is just a bunch of biodegradable plastic the size of a grains of salt that get coated in my chemicals, so it should barely do any damage on impact and the blast radius is pretty small, but it's enough to deliver the payload on anyone caught within two meters of the impact. We experimented with trying to turn the payload into some kind of airborne agent, but then we would be breaking the Geneva Protocol." White Rider spoke as he stored the now loaded arrow back into his quiver, the thin, faintly green chemicals sloshing inside.

"For someone who produces chemical weapons on a daily basis you are surprisingly self-aware." Creati spoke with mild sarcasm.

"I have to be. Wouldn't be very heroic of me to kill everyone I strike, right?" White Rider responded in a monotone voice.

"Still, I only have one shot of this, so I will save it for when the time is right. Six-hundred and sixty seconds left." he added as another bang came for the floor below.

"Flashbangs…" Creati corrected.

"Show me the blueprints for that later, suppose I can create more if needed." she offered.

"Takes about a quarter of a liter to fully load one, even if I brought more with me it would be very hard to fill it without a break to rehydrate." White Rider admitted as he lowered his mask and took his water bottle from the vest, only taking a swig from it after offering some to his partner.

"They should be getting close to the stairs." Creati observed.

"Phase three is ready?" he asked.

"Of course it is." the female villain responded as she pointed to a device she previously had created.

"I still don't think the message is appropriate." White Rider spoke as he turned his eyes away.

"And I still am upset with you, so stop complaining and get in position." Creati responded bitterly as she stepped away carefully avoiding the caltrops that littered the third floor.

"Scratch or tap the com once you make your move. We better use Morse code for this one." she added before taking a turn and vanishing from sight.

White Rider slumped his shoulders before he knocked a Wire Arrow on his bow, shooting it so that the cable would form a bridge at stomach-high between both walls of the corridor that connected his position and hers.

The small mirror his partner perched above the stairway allowed him to see both heroes reaching the steps.

They were visibly jittery because of the traps and expectancy of being assaulted by the villains out of the blue again…

White Rider knocked an arrow and hid.

The heroes noticed the mirror.

"Iida-kun, they are on this floor." Deku warned, keeping his voice low.

"So it seems." Ingenium responded, thinking quickly and taking off his helmet.

In one precise throw he knocked the mirror out of position.

The villains were not the only ones with brains.

In one instant both of them rushed out of the stairway and pressed their backs against the walls of the room, where they couldn't be seen from the corridor.

They were taking every step with caution but making sure to not take to long in between moves.

The villains had to adapt.

White Rider gave the signal on the com. Soon Creati responded with the lure.

" _You want to break up with me, don't you?"_ her voice came from another room. She had left a speaker with a recorded message back at the corridor she took.

" _Can we talk about this later, ma'am?"_ his own voice came from the same speaker, albeit his acting was much less convincing.

While White Rider didn't personally approve the discussion that played he had to give it to her; that was a very, very effective lure. He could faintly hear his opponents muttering about whether or not it was a trap.

Momo wasn't really acting, so it was no surprise that they got confused.

" _I can't believe you just left me hanging there! It's like you don't even care! YOU WANTED WHAT? FOR ME TO BEG FOR ATTENTION?"_ the message continued, apparently she had taken the liberty to add a few extra lines to the recording.

Then again she wasn't totally wrong…

White Rider stored the arrow he currently held and picked up a smoke bomb.

Both heroes stormed in, Ingenium was the leader of the charge and had left his helmet behind. His back turned to the villain and Deku would follow soon.

"IT'S A SPEAKER!" Ingenium shouted just in time to see one of the villains behind them.

The arrow impacted the wall. Pink smoke filled the room where the three were.

White Rider dashed in towards the corridor, stepping heavily on the nanofiber cable to spring up before the Chelicerae on his soles dug into the ceiling. He was on the run.

Deku partially dispersed the smoke with a single punch, giving him enough time to see the escapee. He could follow by jumping against the walls, but his partner would have a harder time as the floor was full of traps.

He had to do it.

"We got problems. I will lead them to the fourth floor!" White Rider spoke as he knocked a Delivery Arrow and fired it at his pursuer as he flipped through the air.

The arrow impacted something he didn't accounted for.

Deku was carrying Ingenium's helmet and used it to block the shot.

" _Nice one…"_ the villain thought as he prepared another smoke bomb and dove towards the next corner, he needed to gain more distance. Soon enough the second hero would get over the caltrops.

" _What do I do!?"_ Creati's voice came through the com, she was panicking.

That got him by surprise.

"I will leave something for you, but you will need to improvise!" he responded as he reached the fourth floor with Deku hot on his heels and Ingenium quickly following.

White Rider could see his partner hiding behind a corner. The color on her face drained.

He shot the smoke bomb against the roof between his position and hers, folded his bow and prepared to engage close combat.

Fighting against opponents like those two at the same time was harsh, one wrong move and he would end up knocked out or at least with a broken something. Yet he managed to scurry away from her while dodging the flurry of punches and kicks.

His utility quiver fell from his arm.

Minutes later White Rider was cornered.

Machibuse got his mask down and hands up.

Promptly he was tied in the capturing tape while something moved unnoticed behind the heroes. Creati fished the dropped utility quiver.

The White Rider had lost the battle, but the war was still going.

"One villain down!" Ingenium proclaimed triumphantly.

"You guys have six minutes. Good luck with that." the captured White Rider informed as he squatted down.

"All Might-sensei! Am I allowed to move from this location?" Machibuse asked on the com.

" _Now that you have been captured you are to act as if unconscious, young Machibuse! Still, don't hesitate to move away from danger, this is just an exercise!"_ the teacher's voice came from the main speakers on the building.

Machibuse nodded and quickly threw himself backwards.

The sound of air blasting away came immediately after.

Deku managed to dodge barely. Ingenium wasn't as lucky, a burning itching sensation took hold of the non-armored parts of his back.

Creati had fired the explosive arrow from a crossbow and quickly rushed down to the third level of the building.

"Payload delivered." the captured villain spoke calmly before sitting down against a wall.

" _S-sorry! I-I couldn't think of anything and you got captured because of me!"_ her panicked voice came through the com.

"You just won us the match, Momo. Now don't worry about me, I am unconscious and shouldn't be speaking." Hakuba responded with some amusement as he watched the heroes in distress.

Less than a minute later Ingenium dropped to the floor and unfortunately for him the payload that was blasted into his system was the same Machibuse had used against Sero months ago.

The overzealous class president was giggling like a three years-old as he did fart noises with the exhausts on his calves.

Creati had hidden herself underneath a stairway and blocked herself in with fake walls.

Deku spent the remaining time looking for the bomb as to win the exercise.

He never even came close to finding it.

The villains had moved the bomb to the entrance hall, just a few meters shy from the main door, and just hid it behind some flimsy dry-wall paneling that Yaoyorozu made to look like one of the many pillars on the building's first floor.

The villains had won.

It wasn't the outstanding success they expected, but it would make do.

-.

 **May 10th, U.A. Highschool Ground Beta, Observation Room, 1405.**

The four combatants returned to the observation room with vastly different expressions: Machibuse's was flat as usual, albeit he was visibly proud that his little trick with the bomb paid off. Yaoyorozu was torn with the result, she won but felt her last moments in combat to be inadequate to say the least. Midoriya was clearly downcast by losing and made it into in the room muttering about how he and Iida played right into the trap. Iida… had his helmet on, he adamantly refused to let his face be seen after his drugged display in front of the class.

"GOOD WORK ALL OF YOU! YOUNG MACHIBUSE AND YOUNG YAOYOROZU: I AM VERY HAPPY TO SEE THAT YOU TWO CHOOSE THE PATH OF HEROISM, THAT WAS A TERRIFIC DISPLAY! MY YOUNG HEROES DON'T BE DISCOURAGED! YOU TWO ALMOST TURNED THE TABLES AGAINST WHAT EASILY WAS THE MOST TROUBLESOME DUO OF VILLAINS!" All Might's bellowing voice filled the room.

Ashido, Hagakure and a few others more invested in the apparent relationship between Machibuse and Yaoyorozu immediately rushed to greet the two villains but All Might had spoken first and Aisawa's hair flaring up was more than enough for the students to not deviate from the class that was still in session.

There would be a lot of questions left for the locker rooms.

-.

 **May 10th, Machibuse Residence, 1700.**

Hakuba and Momo finally made it to the Machibuse residence, both with a mild migraine. Ashido eventually learned that those two were going home together a while ago and made sure to ask her mind, but today all her pent-up hype made their journey home almost unbearable.

Took them both a while to do anything once Hakuba locked the door.

Momo took a deep breath.

"I am waiting." she stated, her tone a mix of anxious and stern.

"I need to get something in my room." Hakuba sighed as he suggested for her to go to the couch.

Momo followed him instead.

"So that's where all the stuff you had in your living room went…" she mused once he opened the door to his bedroom.

Hakuba just gave her an unamused stare as he carefully navigated towards the still boxed desk.

Momo chuckled and made her way in as well, sitting on his bed as he procured something.

Soon he came to her carrying a brown envelope branded with the military insignia. She had seen that envelope before, but never asked what was in there.

"Here." Hakuba offered her the package with a shaky hand, his voice very much troubled. She had seen him reluctant and even in fear, but that was a whole new level.

"What is this?" Momo asked as she it picked up. She studied the envelope with care, before turning to face him.

She held one of his hands tightly.

"I can't bring myself to tell the truth, not ready yet… and I might never be. So that's why I said I was going to give the truth to you. I was given this package before leaving Okinawa and only ever opened it to pick up a few documents. But as you can tell by the weight there is much more than that inside." Hakuba explained.

"What else is in here?" Momo asked, taking a quick peek at the inside. There was quite a lot of paper in there.

"To be completely honest, I don't know… My recommendation to U.A. and U.A.'s response are in there for sure. Principal Nezu told me that since I hadn't read what is inside this envelope by the time I got accepted into the Hero Course it would be better to give myself time. I have tried to open this thing a few times, but it just got harder and harder as time passed." Hakuba was shaking on his feet.

He slowly sat by her side. His lips trembled.

Momo was about to pull the papers out from the envelope. The air in that cramped room felt ridiculously heavy.

"Why are you giving me this if you are not ready to tell the truth?" she stopped, slowly closing the lid.

"Because I don't want you to get hurt because of me." Hakuba averted his eyes from the offending package.

"Neither do I." Momo got up to place the envelope on top of one box that was close enough and took a deep breath.

Hakuba got up confused.

"Promise me one thing: you will never again push my feelings to the side like that." Momo demanded.

"I swear." Hakuba agreed without a second thought.

Momo eyed him cautiously as she approached.

Her arms gently wrapped around his neck as she pulled his lips to hers.

He immediately pulled her waist closer, the kiss becoming deeper and deeper.

They _needed_ that.

"…Are you sure about this?" Hakuba asked as they stopped for air, holding her as if afraid of hearing a no.

"I will read whatever truth is in there when the time feels right… now is just not that time. For now it's enough that you are willing to go this far for me." Momo whispered back, her lips still less than an inch from his. She punctuated the response with a quick kiss.

Both of them had dumb smiles on their faces for a moment.

"We still have two months' worth of hero studies to go over. And I want another date for all the trouble you caused me." Momo spoke playfully as she ran her fingers over his hair.

"Anything else?" Hakuba chuckled, leaning in.

"Well, you might want to get used to wearing your shirt buttoned up all the way." She suggested with a shrug before their lips collided once more.

Hero studies could wait a couple of minutes more.

-.

 **May 13th, U.A. Highschool Main Gate, 1615.**

The week went by fast. The most obvious question had been shot down on the day that immediately followed the revelation. "It's not official yet, but it's pretty fucking serious..." was how Machibuse so elegantly put it after asking for permission to break his protocol. They both wanted it to be official, but they came to the agreement that Momo would decide when it would happen, when the time was _right_.

Sure, they weren't going around everywhere hand-in-hand or kissing when they thought that nobody was looking… but now they were comfortable enough to do so when they felt like it. It was quite a big weight off their shoulders.

Ashido's excitement was slowly returning to reasonable levels.

Kaminari appointed Machibuse as the boy's official ambassador much to the latter's confusion.

Shoji won two boxes of takoyaki.

Iida prepared a list of dos and not dos for Machibuse, who apparently broke some line of the school's code of conduct with his little stunt.

And Monoma failed spectaculary to break the news to class 1-A.

Machibuse had also trained with Shinso this week, apparently Aisawa was teaching him how to use the Capturing Weapon. Progress was slow, but Shinso was giving his all. Machibuse was there mostly to play moving target, but as his teacher had told, the more intense stuff would come during the second semester. If anything their last twenty-five minutes of training were devoted to sparing, and Aisawa gave Machibuse permission to go "a little rough" during the last five minutes as long as he didn't used his Quirk to strike Shinso.

According to the teacher that was a way to pressure Shinso into learning. Shinso didn't enjoyed those five minutes.

Weekend was looming ahead, Hakuba and Momo had a date tomorrow. This time however his finances wouldn't be left in shambles as he gave the argument that he wanted to cook just for her. Originally she asked for the date to take place at the current day, but Hakuba told her that he was busy.

Momo asked why, but he just told her that it would be easier just to show rather than tell.

Machibuse, Yaoyorozu, Shoji, Kirishima and Ashido were just leaving passing through the U.A. Barrier when a familiar voice called from a car parked nearby.

A police car actually.

"Machibuse-san! Over here!" Detective Tsukauchi called as he stepped out of the car.

"Detective." Machibuse and the other students bowed.

"Sorry everyone, I need to steal him for a moment." Tsukauchi greeted in an informal manner as he approached the students.

"What did he do, detective?" Yaoyorozu asked mildly surprised. Being called in by a police officer right after school was a good enough excuse for him to adjourn their date.

"Pickpocketing and trespassing of governmental space." Tsukauchi's tone turned serious immediately.

Machibuse was not amused. Everyone else was taken aback.

The detective gave a short laugh.

"I'm kidding… I just need to get speak with him about Hosu, a few things on the pictures he took." Tsukauchi dismissed the situation he created.

"Not even a week in and you are having to deal with your boyfriend getting taken in by the police…" Kirishima mused.

Neither of the pair cared to correct.

"Shall we go? Traffic starts to get a little nuts by this hour." Tsukauchi suggested.

Machibuse nodded.

"Until next week…" he addressed everyone before giving his _girlfriend's_ hand a tight squeeze and rushing towards the police car "…and until tomorrow."

"Tomorrow eh?" Ashido questioned the news.

Yaoyorozu took a deep breath, knowing that Ashido would be on her back until they reached the station. Hakuba did that on purpose just to screw with her and she could see his usual façade barely holding up his amusement as he got inside the police car.

Soon enough the car disappeared over the hill.

"Girlfriend huh? Isn't she the one from the hairspray commercial?" Tsukauchi broke the ice as he drove.

"Soon enough she will be, I hope… and yes." Machibuse responded, leaning against the window.

There was a still silence inside the car.

"You know you don't have to go through this, right?" Tsukauchi spoke, worry evident in his voice.

"I was the one to ask for it." Machibuse answered, his eyes lost on the horizon as he ran the possibilities on his head.

"I will be with you in the room, no one else will hear. If you feel like backing out at any moment don't hesitate to do so, questioning is my job." Tsukauchi explained.

"My gratitude detective…"

-.

 **May 13th, Maximum Security Prison For Villain Criminals – Tartarus, S-Rank Row, 1830.**

"When I was told that I was to receive a visitor I didn't expected it would be Edgeshot's leech… ahh… how did you manage to get in here?"

Even bound to a chair from neckdown and locked behind two inches of ballistic glass with machine gun turrets pointed at him the Hero Killer: Stain was still menace personified.

"I made a call and waited, Hero Killer." Machibuse responded vaguely as he took the seat that faced the prisoner.

"I have nothing to discuss with him. Take me back to my cell." Stain demanded as he turned towards Tsukauchi.

"I have come to ask about that. Why was I targeted by your purge?" Machibuse asked stubbornly.

"Because you are just another cash-worshiper. Someone who by some reason ended up under Edgeshot's wing and turned the opportunity to learn into a way to become famous fast with minimal effort." Stain spat the response.

Machibuse blinked twice. Then he opened his mouth to speak but found no words to express himself.

He quickly turned towards Tsukauchi with clear confusion in his face.

"This took a turn I really didn't expected." Machibuse admitted, still in shock.

The detective was surprised as well, he expected something far worse, yet his Quirk guaranteed him that Stain was speaking the truth.

Machibuse took a deep breath.

"Okay, we are approaching from another angle…" the teen visibly relaxed as he turned to face the Hero Killer one more time.

"What do you mean, kid?" Stain squinted his eyes.

"Apparently there has been a misunderstanding of massive proportions. Allow me to apologize." Machibuse admitted as he got up and bowed sharply.

"That was way easier than I expected. This job surprises me sometimes." Tsukauchi got up from his seat on the back of the room and headed to the door.

"Wait. Explain." Stain ordered from his confines.

"I would like to make full use of the time as well, detective…" Machibuse insisted as well.

Tsukauchi took a deep breath and sat down again.

"What do you mean by misunderstanding?" Stain demanded.

"I was under the impression you had another motive to hunt me down. I am aware that I gained some popularity while working under Edgeshot, but I want none of it. The hero profile on social media was a requirement to work at his agency." Machibuse explained.

He took a deep breath as the villain on the other side of the glass didn't seemed convinced.

"I have a crippling phobia of audience; Stage Fright. Broke down during U.A.'s Sports Festival two months ago and there is footage of me to confirm it. I am psychologically incapable of fitting the criteria you put me in." the teen added to the explanation.

"So you are telling me that I misjudged you?" Stain concluded.

"Affirmative." Machibuse responded.

"Then I have a question about that. When I woke up from the surgery I was asked a lot of questions and it was made clear that you intended on keeping my sword for yourself. Why… ahh… would you want something like that if not as a trophy?"

"Permission to break protocol?" Machibuse asked much to the villain's surprise.

"He comes from the military." Tsukauchi explained the question. The original interrogation had already gone out of the window, but the teen somehow managed to get the Hero Killer's attention, so maybe there was something to discover.

"Very well, granted." Stain nodded.

"I'm fucking fifteen. I have the rights to like swords." the teen responded bluntly as he shrugged away the question as if it was obvious.

The detective stifled a laugh.

Stain didn't bother doing the same, a rasp, short laugh coming from his twisted expression.

"What is your name, kid?" Stain asked, his posture slightly less menacing now.

"Machibuse Hakuba. Hero name: Protocol: White Rider." Machibuse responded resuming his protocol.

"Call me Chizome." Stain offered.

"Tell me, Hakuba, what you thought was the reason for you to be a target of my purge?" he questioned.

Hearing his name in Stain's voice got the hairs on his neck to stand on end. Apparently this month Hakuba got to first name basis with two people and one of them was a psychopathic murderer.

"Back in that alley you said that we were similar… I wanted to know what made you say that, Chizome-san." Hakuba answered. He would have made the response more specific, but the least number of people that knew the truth the better and telling classified information to a S-Rank villain wasn't a promising move.

"Your eyes, they were familiar to me. There was no resolve in your eyes, you fought me as if it there was no meaning behind your actions. You had a goal… ahh… but to reach it was only a job for you." Chizome explained.

"I could see in your eyes back than that you didn't truly felt the reason behind your actions as a hero. And you still don't." he added.

"You mean as in before your interactions with the League of Villains?" Tsukauchi prodded from his seat.

"I am not here to answer your questions." Stain responded coldly.

"Chizome-san… let me propose you a deal." Hakuba spoke.

"What do you have in mind?" Chizome quirked his head in curiosity.

"You are right about my "heroism", Chizome-san… prior to joining the Hero Course I never imagined myself as a hero, I was perfectly satisfied with being a soldier. But I promised someone very dear to me that I would strive to be the best hero I can, and Edgeshot showed me what I can do as a real hero. I have an end goal and a reason to go after it, but as you said, I have no motive to be heroic besides it being my job… While I am not a false hero right now, I feel that I have no resolve to be a true hero and that is an offense to those who inspired me." Hakuba spoke his heart. That felt good.

"However, this makes me a blank slate; tell me what a true hero is to you. What kind of hero you want to see rising for the betterment of society, so much to the point you killed for this ideal… You tell what you know about the League to Tsukauchi-san and I will pledge here and now that I will devote my life as the White Rider to becoming a true hero according to your teachings. I will not preach them and much less kill for your ideals, but I feel that you may be the guide I need, since we are alike after all. What do you say, Akaguro Chizome, Hero Killer: Stain?" Hakuba made his offer, both fists resting on his knees as he bowed sharply while seated.

"Machibuse-san! You don't have to…!" Tsukauchi shot up to his feet, his Quirk confirming that the teen had truly spoken his mind.

Stain's toothy smile got as wide as possible, the restraints over his body squeaking as he tried to approach.

"Detective! I have two requests: I want to be informed about the developments of the White Rider and I want you to give him my sword! I can name everyone I killed with it of the top of my head. In exchange for that I will tell you every detail of my interactions with that Shigaraki brat! His goals, his morals, what makes him tick and even what the inside of his hideout looks like!" Stain bellowed towards Tsukauchi.

"Pay attention to what I am about to teach you, kid! Machibuse Hakuba, Protocol: White Rider… ahh… if you ever stray from the path of a true hero from this day on be aware that I will break out of this place and personally kill you with that sword!"

…

..

.

 _ **AN: To think I'd get Yaoyorozu and Stain on a Vann diagram with the "On a first name basis with the OC." as the intersection… writing does wonders.**_

 _ **I actually hadn't realized that up until this chapter the pairing had never been on the same side in any school activity as the USJ incident hardly can be counted as "school activity".**_

 _ **Have I said before that I like Stain? I know I have. Best-boi was the reason that got me into MHA.**_

 _ **If any of you guys play Warframe then now the quiver reference is clear: One arrow that hides, one to create paths, one to distract and one that afflicts a large area… I used to play a shit ton of Ivara.**_

 _ **For those of you who don't know, Tsukauchi's Quirk, Human Lie Detector, makes him, well, a human lie detector.**_

 _ **All the stakes are now higher, and we are about to jump into the final exams!**_


	24. Home Stretch

**May 19th, U.A. Highschool Cafeteria, 1230.**

He was spacing out pretty bad… Machibuse's week had been surprisingly tame, so much to the point it was boring. Sure, Basic Hero Training was still a good shake-up, but even that class was on the more monotonous side this time. If anything today he had a sparring session with Kendo and that might be just the thing.

Machibuse was barely following the conversation between Kaminari, Jiro and Ashido while mindlessly eating his curry. Yaoyorozu once more had been robbed of lunch time to deal with class rep business.

Biggest scare of the week happened Sunday morning; Hakuba had just woken up with Momo still sound asleep huddled against him, she had decided to sleep over after their date. While he was taking the opportunity to attempt investigating down the collar of her pijmas without waking her up Hakuba noticed one very minor thing on the corner of his eye, something that neither of them had seen when they entered the room because they didn't bothered with turning the lights on, too busy rushing to bed to resume making out…

His dumb ass had left Stain's sword on top of his desk-box.

And of course he hadn't told her about his meeting with the Hero Killer. Old habits die hard…

Hakuba somehow managed to somehow salvage that situation by sitting for a moment, taking of his shirt and tossing it over the weapon. Most of it was obviously still visible, but now he had an excuse to go over towards the desk-box and hide the thing properly once it was time for them to get up.

Of course the motion had woken up Momo, but Hakuba was quick to lay back down and pull her close as if nothing had happened. That inadvertently rewarded him with a soft smile and some color coming to her face as she ran her fingers lazily on his exposed back for a moment before falling asleep again, nuzzled against the fading tan on his skin.

Damn she made him feel like the luckiest man alive…

"Wake up, Captain! People are trying to speak with you!" Jiro's voice snapped him back to reality, one of her jacks flicking his nose before pointing towards someone that approached.

Machibuse blinked twice before turning.

A small group from Class 1-B was sitting by a few tables over, and one of them had just got up.

"Machibuse-san!"

"Tsuburaba-san, I imagine you received the gift." Machibuse greeted as he got up.

"Received and consumed! Luckily you left it with Kendo, some of my classmates are… less reliable and would have eaten the sweets before I got to class." Tsuburaba spoke, his oval eyes squinting as he turned to shoot a glare at Monoma. The blonde apparently had taken a liking to the sweets he received last Friday when he tried to break the news about the secretive couple in Class 1-A.

"He says it's a ploy of yours to win our trust, so we would give up on trying to "overtake the despicable class A"." he added.

"Hadn't thought of this possibility. I will consider it in the future." Machibuse responded without changing his tone. Was he being sarcastic? Who could tell…

Tsuburaba just chuckled.

"Well, just wanted to thank you, Casanova-kun!" he bowed slightly before leaving.

Machibuse sat down once more and was about to pick up his bowl when the obvious question came from his three classmates.

"Casanova-kun!?" they asked simultaneously, barely holding their laughs.

"Miss Tsunotori called me "Casanova" other day. I assume her limited knowledge of our vocabulary had more to do with it than any malice on her part… she apologized when I stopped by her class to give her birthday present on the following day, but unfortunately Tokage-san had told everyone in Class 1-B about it and the alias stuck to me." Machibuse sighed, clearly inconvenienced by the nickname.

The effort he was putting in keeping his façade was not left unnoticed.

Jiro, Ashido and Kaminari bursted into hysterical laughter.

"I assure that there will be retaliations if any of you dare to speak of it in her presence." Machibuse's face twitched slightly as he blushed and resumed eating.

The three just kept on laughing.

-.

 **May 20th, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 0905.**

"Listen up. Summer vacation's close at hand… and of course it would be completely irrational for you to take the whole month off." Aisawa started the last homeroom of the week with what seemed to be an announcement.

"Don't tell me…" Kaminari thought out loudly.

" _DON'T TELL ME!"_ Machibuse was panicking behind his mask, he had a gut feeling about what was coming.

"You will be doing a summer training camp in the woods." the teacher informed.

"I FREAKING KNEW IT! NICE!" Kaminari shouted in response.

Machibuse kept his poker face even if he was sweating bullets.

"Truth of Dare!" Ashido shouted in excitement

"BATHHOUSES!" Mineta cried out.

"Will there be fireworks?" Asui asked no one in particular.

"BATHHOUSES!" Mineta cried out. Again.

"Curry, yes!" Iida chimed in.

"Since we'll be out in the nature our training activities will be different… so it's all about making the right decisions regardless of the environment…" Midoriya mumbled loudly.

"All of us living together! I'm so pumped!" Kirishima rose both his fists.

"Why are you so excited for a summer camp? Have you no idea what this hellish experience… Iida-san, can you please repeat what you just said?" the panicked Machibuse interrupted himself as he snapped mechanically to face the class president.

"I said that there will be curry. Is it not a tradition in Okinawa?" Iida responded.

"You have my full attention, please explain further." Machibuse's stomach was doing the talking now. Apparently this was something entirely different from the summer camp hell devised by the Military Academy.

"However…" Aisawa's hair flared up and Class 1-A was immediately silent once more.

"Anyone that doesn't pass the upcoming final exams is in for summer school hell, right here." he explained the consequences.

"LET'S DO OUR BEST EVERYONE!"

-.

 **June 16th, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 0850.**

"As promised."

"YAY!"

Machibuse was once more left to study the very confusing body language of his invisible classmate as she quickly opened the cloth.

Instants later the seemingly floating sweet started to disappear piece by piece and soon had completely vanished right before Iida instinctively turned as if he physically felt the rule of not eating inside the classroom being breached.

Machibuse took in sounds of the classroom for a moment. From Jiro laughing at Kaminari for some reason, to Midoriya stammering as he tried to speak with Uraraka, to Ashido and Yaoyorozu talking about something while glancing at him from time to time, to the sound of Asui hitting Mineta over some comment he made, to Kirishima and Sero making fun of something while Bakugo cursed, to Aoyama speaking highly of himself as Shoji, Ojiro and Tokoyami pretended to pay attention. Even the quietness of both Todoroki and Koda had a presence in the room.

Sometimes Machibuse wondered how he ended up tied up to such a peculiar group. His life back in Okinawa had always been uneventful and strict… it wasn't bad by any means, but it just didn't hold a candle to this.

A faint smile broke through his mask.

"Machibuse-kun…" Hagakure's voice called him.

Machibuse gave her full attention, assuming that he was looking her in the eyes.

"I need to ask you something… back when we were attacked at the USJ, did you know where I was?" her voice carried concern.

"Negative. Mind if I ask why you are bringing this to my attention, Hagakure-san?" Machibuse responded.

"I ended up in the landslide area." Hagakure answered.

"With me and Todoroki-san. I apologize for not noticing you." Machibuse gave a slight bow, maybe she felt bad for being forgotten.

"Both of you were so strong, I didn't say anything… might have gotten in the way." Hagakure dismissed the apology.

She took a deep breath, as evidenced by how her uniform moved.

"I saw what you did after Todoroki left…" she admitted.

Machibuse tensed up.

"I really thought that you were a bad guy back then, you know… I was going to tell them, but then I heard that you saved Momo-chan, Kyoka-chan and Kaminari-kun… You are not a bad guy, so why you did that?" Hagakure questioned.

Machibuse took a deep breath.

"Being ambushed like that struck a nerve on me. It was the first time in a while since I got caught with my guard low like that." he confessed.

Hagakure was silent for a moment, likely she was studying him.

"Geez you are hard to read!" she huffed, crossing her arms angrily.

Machibuse quirked an eyebrow, she had no way to know how ironic that felt coming from her.

"But in the end I'm glad I kept the secret!" Hagakure laughed, dismissing all the tension.

Machibuse had a genuine smile on his face now.

"Thank you for giving me the second chance." he chuckled.

"And it would've been such a waste! You are too cute to be a bad guy!

-.

 **June 20th, U.A. Highschool Cafeteria, 1215.**

"Come on, let me have just one!"

"Just wait for your turn like everybody else."

Machibuse was currently sitting in silence, watching the scene in front of him as he ate. Two of his fellow recommended students, Honenuki Juzo and Tokage Setsuna sat on the other side of the table. It was the former's birthday and the later was committed to getting the sweets before it was hers.

"And don't think I haven't noticed that you detached your hand." Honenuki informed with a deadpan stare as he reached for the floating hand that moved underneath the table but failed to capture it.

Tokage huffed, crossing her arms under her chest as the disembodied hand snapped back into place.

"Is this your secret plan? To have our class too busy with internal disputes to take the spotlight from yours, Casanova-kun?" Tokage asked sarcastically as she gave up momentarily on the sweets and resumed her meal.

"I see that Monoma-san's theory has developed… he is aware that I find this feud he instigates between our classes to be pointless, right?" Machibuse responded, doing his best to not show how the nickname got to him.

"Of course you would say that." Monoma spoke as he took the vacant seat besides Machibuse.

"Speak of the devil…" Honenuki mused before he took a bite of one the sweets he was gifted.

"Okay, this is good." he added with a mouthful.

"We Okinawans are proud of our cuisine for a reason." Machibuse nodded.

"Don't need to rub it all over my face, _Casanova-kun._ " Tokage sneered.

"Drop the nickname and I might consider not forgetting your birthday. How about it?" Machibuse offered without losing his façade.

"You tell us that you don't care about the rivalry and follow it up with a threat!" Monoma pointed an accusatory finger.

"If you want me to prove my point just think back to the Sports Festival; wasn't I the one taking orders from someone in class C? We are all striving to be heroes for the betterment of society, makes absolutely no sense that we compete amongst ourselves for something like fame or glory… It's simply detrimental." Machibuse responded to the accusation, only realizing whose teachings he quoted after finishing his speak.

Monoma's face twitched as he found an argument he couldn't contest.

"Touché." Tokage mused. Her voice however came from a place other than her position.

"Can you stop!?" Honenuki quickly closed the package that contained the sweets, just before Tokage's floating mouth managed to bite its contents.

"Damn! So close!" she huffed once more.

"How about a bet then? This way we can start settling things how they should be." Monoma turned to Machibuse with an idea as he noticed how much effort his classmate was putting on trying to obtain the delicacy.

"Finals are approaching, and I am sure that Class 1-B will pull ahead. Prove me wrong and I will cease my antics for a month." Monoma proposed.

"Two months; we are on summer vacation after the finals. Who do you think you are trying to trick, Monoma-san?" Machibuse responded, his pride as the trickiest in Class 1-A being put to show.

"Apparently you've seen through my plan, Casanova-kun. Very well, prove me wrong and I am silent for two months." Monoma agreed with mild amusement in his voice.

"And if your class does pull ahead in the finals?" Machibuse asked.

"Not if, when… When Class 1-B proves to be the best after the finals you will be our cook for when we get together to celebrate victory!"

-.

 **June 20th, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 1555.**

"I DIDN'T STUDY AT ALL!"

Kaminari and Ashido both said at the same time, their expressions however couldn't be more distinct.

"Even if midterms weren't all that tough it was because we didn't have that much to cover because of all the events… finals are going to be much harder. Sucks that there is going to be a practical exam too." Mineta taunted smugly from his seat.

"We thought that you were one of us!" Ashido cried out in disbelief.

"Guys like you are only likable when you are morons! There is just no demand for whatever you actually are!" Kaminari was dumbfounded as he pointed an accusatory finger towards the diminutive pervert that scored ninth in the midterms.

"Such is life…" Mineta stroked his own ego.

"Ashido, Kaminari! Let's try the best we can! It'd be great if all can go to the training camp, right!?" Midoriya gave the motivational speech.

"Yes!" Iida backed it up.

"Haven't you been attending to class? How could you possibly fail?" Todoroki asked coldly.

"WORDS HURT Y'KNOW!?" Kaminari was in absolute despair.

Seventeenth place in the midterms, Machibuse felt that last one stinging as he got up and made his way towards Yaoyorozu, she had left some notes about the last few topics he needed to go over with him over the weekend and now the return was due. Weren't for her likely he would be on a situation similar to Kaminari's… albeit more dignified.

She jumped a little on her seat when his hand landed on her shoulder. Machibuse was getting far too used to walking without making sound and lately this caused him to surprise people every so often.

Yaoyorozu blushed slightly in embarrassment, but at least this time it was evident that Machibuse didn't sneaked up on her on purpose. He'd done so a couple of times since they began their study sessions, and she would hit him or pinch his ear whenever he did so.

She took a quick breath to calm her heartbeat.

"You two, I may be of assistance if what you need are help with the academics." Yaoyorozu offered politely, one of her hands gracefully resting atop her chest as she spoke.

Machibuse felt her shoulder tensing as she muttered something about the practical exam.

"Yaomomo!" Kaminari and Ashido shouted in glee.

"I'm not as bad off as those two, but… mind helping me out too? Quadratic functions are tripping me up…" Jiro asked as she approached.

"Sorry, me too! You are good with kanji, right Yaoyorozu?" Sero joined in, clapping both hands above his head as a plead.

"Huh?" Yaoyorozu was taken aback.

"I'd like to join, too…" Ojiro approached humbly.

"Please!" the three bowed as they made the request in unison.

Yaoyorozu immediately blushed like a little girl.

" _Fucking hell she's adorable… whata!?"_ Machibuse's eyes widened.

Good thing he had good reflexes.

"Yes! Of course!" she quickly sprung to her feet, both arms shooting upwards as Machibuse barely managed to get his chin out of the way of one of her fists.

"Seven people then… It will be somewhat cramped but shouldn't be that bad. Although I will need to borrow some chairs again…" Machibuse mused as he pondered if there was something he could do to get everyone more comfortable in his diminutive apartment.

"Don't worry about it! We can all gather at my house this weekend! I should be the one to host it!" Yaoyorozu was basically jumping in excitement.

"Your place Yaomomo? Awesome!" Ashido spoke as that settled the deal.

"Ah! In that case I will have to ask mother if we can use the lecture hall!" Yaoyorozu told herself in glee.

"...Lecture hall?" they asked meekly.

The six students under Yaomomo's tutelage all exchanged confused looks as she asked about what kind of tea they preferred in a bubbly fashion.

They were just in awe. She just looked so happy.

" _To think that I seriously tried to not fall in love with her… Yeah, I will get my idiot certificate soon."_

-.

 **June 25th, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, In Transit Towards Yaoyorozu Estate, 1230.**

"Cool, let's get going." Jiro spoke as Ashido joined her, Sero, Kaminari and Ojiro at the station's meeting point.

"Ehh, aren't we missing Machibuse still?" Sero asked he confirmed the address Yaoyorozu has sent them.

"Spoke with him earlier, Captain is already here in Nagoya it seems." Jiro responded as the group got moving. It would take them a little less than thirty minutes to make it to Yaoyorozu's.

"Think he is at her place already?" Ojiro asked innocently, he never had been one to tease the two about whatever kind of relationship they had going on.

Ashido and Kaminari on the other hand…

"Doing some _studying_ , you could say?" Kaminari asked suggestively, grinning ear to ear.

"HMMMM!" Ashido hummed loudly.

"Stop it the two of you! He is going to meet us halfway, said he had something to do here in Nagoya." Jiro called out annoyedly, facepalming as she explained the situation.

"Oh come on! Who died and made you the romance police?" Ashido complained.

"He didn't say what he was doing here in Nagoya?" Ojiro asked, more as an excuse to change the topic of the conversation than out of curiosity.

Jiro just shrugged.

"Man, Machibuse never tells anyone anything… how the hell does Yaoyorozu deals with him?" Sero pondered loudly.

"Patience. A lot of it." Jiro sighed.

Not ten minutes later the group spotted said secretive teen dressed in a mildly formal attire. Machibuse was sitting idly at a bus stop on the other side of the street with his bag on his lap and an instrument case propped against his leg.

One shout out later and he was readily joining his classmates.

"Everyone." Machibuse greeted as he adjusted the bag on one shoulder and the case on another.

"So you really weren't just getting to her house earlier to make out…" Kaminari mused.

"I suppose that the conversation was like that all the way from the station up until now." Machibuse quirked an eyebrow as they resumed walking.

"Pretty much… why the case, Captain?" Jiro asked, the musician in her visibly curious.

"I always bring it when I come to visit my parents." Machibuse responded.

"They live here in Nagoya?" Ojiro asked, his tail wiggling lightly as his interest increased.

"Not the term I'd use. But yes, they are here in Nagoya." Machibuse responded with very minimal changes to his expression.

Ashido tensed as she understood what he meant, he was carrying the same case that day after the USJ when she followed him to the graveyard alongside Momo and Tsuyu.

It had also clicked for Jiro, she was told that the girls had followed Machibuse once and she had seen the stones resting besides a family portrait back in his apartment. This pretty much cleared her of any doubts.

"Regardless, we should be close, the bus I took passed by a park on the way here, apparently her address is just on the other side of it."

-.

 **June 25th, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, Yaoyorozu Estate, 1300.**

"Permission to… break... protocol?"

Machibuse sounded stunned. So did the rest of the group as they gave him permission.

The park they had to go around wasn't a park, it was private property and they only discovered who was the owner when they made it to the main gate where they found a stone plaque etched with a name.

 _YAOYOROZU_

"Is she printing fucking diamonds with that Quirk?" Machibuse questioned as he eyed the length of the street they were in. The property easily occupied the whole city block… hell he had seen military facilities smaller than her estate.

"I knew she was rich, but I didn't think she was _this_ rich…" Kaminari managed to speak.

Jiro was the one to take initiative and reach for the intercom.

" _Everyone I have been waiting for you! Please, come in!"_ Yaoyorozu picked up immediately. Was she waiting in front of the intercom on the inside?

The ornate gates opened.

Took the group a good five minutes to reach the front door... The place was just that big.

None of them spoke a single word since they crossed the gates, too staggered to do so.

The front double doors of Yaoyorozu's _mansion_ was at about three meters tall for some reason. Just as they approached the marble stairway that lead to it they were met by their hostess as she opened the passage for them.

"Welcome everyone!" Yaoyorozu greeted her classmates with the happiest of smiles as she invited her guests inside.

Soon she was leading her classmates through the finely decorated hallway towards the lecture hall with a spring in her step. It didn't escape anyone how her fingers immediately entwined on Machibuse's as soon as they got together much to his surprise. Sure, they got comfortable with displaying their affection for one another over the past month, but it was the first time something like this ever happened openly in front of people from their class.

Machibuse's façade faltered for a moment when that happened, he was completely smitten. Having her this happy made it hard for him not to smile.

"Please get yourselves comfortable! I will be right back!" Yaoyorozu excused herself as she gestured for her classmates to sit down on the massive wooden table in the middle of the room.

"Huh, Momo…" Machibuse called her just as she was about to leave.

"Yes… Hakuba?" Yaoyorozu asked in a bouncy tone, blushing lightly.

"Mind showing me where is the bathroom?" he asked as he scanned the room for any clues as to where he needed to go. Machibuse just came from the cemetery, he needed to at least wash his face.

"I will be taking the same hallway, come with me!" she called, offering her hand to him once more.

Machibuse quickly placed his belongings on one of the many vacant seats around the table and joined her.

"You went to see them?" Momo asked as she closed the door behind them.

"Affirmative." he nodded. His shoulders slumping slightly.

"You need to tell me about them sometime, you know?" Momo asked playfully as to try bringing his mood up.

"They would have liked you." Hakuba told with an honest smile as she led the way.

Momo's face got redder.

"Just now…" she started, leaning on his shoulder as they walked "…it was the first time you called me by my name in front of someone else."

Truth be told he hasn't even realized what he just did until now and his face just lit up like a beacon.

Instead of replying he let go of her hand, wrapping his arm around her waist to hold her close as they walked in silence.

A few minutes later, back in lecture hall…

"I feel so out of place, it's making me nervous…" Ojiro admitted as he shuffled in his seat.

"Y-yeah, me too…" Sero agreed as he looked up towards the fancy chandeliers above them.

The door opened.

"So, I have just been to a bathroom bigger than my living room. That's a thing." Machibuse spoke with mild shock as he got back to the group, closing the door behind him as he entered.

"And apparently there are four more just on this floor." he added, sitting down besides Ashido.

Before any of them could comment anymore about the place they were in the doors opened once more.

"What is it?" Yaoyorozu came into the room pushing a cart filled with sweets and tea.

"Oh, nothing…" the six of them just melted with her expression.

Hours passed by, they had gone over mathematics with some effort and over art surprisingly fast.

A little too fast. Something was off.

"Did I miss something on my notes?" Yaoyorozu asked herself as she quickly skimmed her papers on Midnight's discipline.

"Guess we are good at something, huh?" Ashido spoke with a sarcastic smile, she liked art so at least for her it wasn't a hard subject.

The four boys looked at one another.

That was suspicious to say the least.

"Something is going on here…" Jiro squinted her eyes as she scanned them one by one.

The four went silent, all of them turned to studying the fancy room they were in or focused their attention on the textbooks at hand as to push the issue away. They did a terrible job a pretending that everything was going smoothly.

"This will either be perverted or stupid." Yaoyorozu asserted as she turned towards Machibuse with a piercing glare.

"Promise not to get mad at us and I will tell you." Machibuse, the appointed ambassador of 1-A's males spoke while keeping his façade strong.

"I only promise to try." Yaoyorozu quirked an eyebrow.

"You are about as tall as Midnight-sensei, so stand up please." Machibuse instructed her.

"This will be both perverted **and** stupid…" Yaoyorozu sighed as she did what she was told.

"Now, rise your hand to the height Midnight-sensei writes her notes on the blackboard." he continued with the instructions.

Yaoyorozu rose her hand to about the height of her chest.

"Now try to guess why none of the boys have failed her test."

There was a moment of dead silence.

The three girls facepalmed simultaneously.

"You mean to tell us that she tricked all of you into reading her notes by using her breasts as bait?" Jiro asked baffled.

"I don't even know if I am angry at you guys or disappointed with Midnight-sensei." Ashido confessed.

Yaoyorozu just took a deep breath as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

R-Rated Hero: Midnight was a fucking genius.

-.

 **June 25th, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, Yaoyorozu Estate, 1910.**

"No more! I yield! I yield!" Kaminari blurted out as his head fell on the table.

They just went over the last bits of hero studies and, truth be told, even the usually stoic Machibuse was feeling burned out. Not only he had gone through almost six hours of Yaoyorozu's insanely condensed notes on three academic disciplines but the last three were solely dedicated to the one discipline he liked the least.

Of course Machibuse wasn't about to tell anyone, but he had devised a technique to better remember the details on the subject of hero society: He ranked the topics by how likely was for Stain to come stab him in his sleep if he was to abide by them to the letter... It wasn't pretty, but the literal gut feeling he had in Hosu now got him to pay a lot of attention to every detail about hero society.

Although he had to give it to Chizome; the villain was right when he said that the bureaucracies of hero society were both a blessing and a curse. Chizome would have made an amazing philosophy teacher if he wasn't so resistant to the idea of change. That and the fact he was a convicted serial killer.

"I suppose it's fair to stop for now. We can go over literature and English tomorrow. This one can help me with the later so it should be easy." Yaoyorozu agreed, her fingers running through Machibuse's hair causing him to snap back to reality and away from his conversation with the Hero Killer.

Jiro, Ashido, Ojiro and Sero all sighed in relief as they started to store their belongings.

"Seriously, what took you two so long? You are just adorable like this!" Ashido asked as she eyed how Machibuse shamelessly enjoyed the caress.

"He is an idiot, that's the short of it." Yaoyorozu responded without a second thought.

Machibuse didn't dignify that with an answer, instead he just turned to her with a mildly irritated expression.

"Any complains?" Yaoyorozu asked unamused, challenging the look as she continued to pet his head, albeit her hand got a lot heavier.

Machibuse just took a deep breath and rolled his eyes as he started packing his notes.

"…"

"…"

 _*Pffftt*_

The other five students in the room laughed, some a little more, others just chuckled.

"Sorry! Sorry!" Sero apologizing even if he was still calming himself down a little.

"It's just weird to see you like this, y'know? You are always all serious and stuff." Kaminari joked as he tried his best to imitate Machibuse's usual flat mask of an expression.

"Suppose I have become more lenient about my protocol lately... Likely your guys' fault." Machibuse admitted with a faint smile.

There was a silent moment of appreciation for that small comment.

"What now? We got some time to kill." Jiro asked as she got up and stretched.

"Hmm, I could go for something to eat, what about you guys?" Ojiro asked.

"Suppose we could order something… there is a spectacular pizza place nearby if I might suggest." Yaoyorozu suggested.

There were no objections to that.

"Great! Its on me then! Just wait here for a moment and I will get the movie theater open for us!" the hostess spoke with a smile as she skipped out of the hall, the six guests in awe at her reaction.

An awkward silence of realization filled the room after the door closed.

Finally one of them asked.

"Movie theater?"

-.

 **June 25th, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, Yaoyorozu Estate, 1945.**

Didn't take long for Yaoyorozu to return and lead her classmates towards the third floor of her humongous house and into the so-called movie theater.

It was about as big as Machibuse's apartment. Arranged in semi-circular fashion were two rows of cushioned seats and in front of them a what easily was the largest couch any of the guests have ever seen. A projector on the ceiling pointed towards the silver screen.

Food would arrive soon, and all that remained was to decide upon which movie they would watch.

For the moment Machibuse provided the entertainment as demanded by his friends, proficiently pulling on the strings of the shamisen he had brought. He was visibly focusing on his task and Yaoyorozu, who was sitting by his side, could see that he was rather... tense.

"You are taking this to the summer camp, right!?" Kaminari asked enthusiastically as he drummed against the leather couch with his fingers.

"Would that be appropriate?" Machibuse asked back as he increased the pace.

All eyes turned towards the class vice-president.

"Can't see how it would break any rules as long as it doesn't interfere with our scheduled activities." Yaoyorozu responded.

They then turned back to Machibuse, expecting his response.

He stopped playing.

Took him a moment to speak after that.

"Permission to break protocol?" Machibuse asked.

People agreed, it escaped no one how his tone turned sad.

"Can't say I am comfortable with playing this for everyone…" Machibuse admitted, his shoulders slumping.

"Sorry for pushing you just now, Captain…" Jiro looked away as she apologized, she had been the one to ask him to do it. She knew her friend had some musical talent, music had been one of their first topics of discussion during the three-minute break during All Might's first class. They even talked about sitting down one day to play something during the first weeks of school, but the idea slowly fell by the wayside as time went on.

"Don't apologize Lieutenant, you had no way to know… and it's about time I start trying to get over these barriers." Machibuse sighed and resumed playing, visibly more relaxed now.

He played an upbeat, cheerful tone now.

Yaoyorozu now debated about whether or not she should pull him closer even with everyone looking, seeing him opening up like this made her a lot happier than she expected. She only heard him playing like that once before and it was at his parents' resting place.

Momo just started leaning to move towards him when the intercom rang. Unfortunately she was interrupted, but fortunately it was because of food. She got up with suppressing a giggle and made her way to the door.

Hakuba, _her Hakuba_ , had finally began showing her how hard he was trying to leave the ghosts of his past in the past.

Soon she would finally say what her heart wanted and deep inside she knew he would respond.

But at least for now her stomach was speaking louder than her heart.

The "right time" would come soon and she would happily wait for it now.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Guess I left you guys with something rather tense last time, suppose we should lighten the mood a little. Next time we are finally tackling the final exams!**_

 _ **I really wanted to write down the studying at Yaomomo's scene. Seriously, the part where she comes with the cart is the purest thing in the anime.**_

 _ **And yes, fucking Monoma, Class B cometh.**_


	25. The Enemy of My Enemy

**Ten days ago, June 20th, U.A. Highschool Teacher's Meeting Room, 1630.**

" _With the supposed connection between Stain and the League of Villains we can expect the beginnings of a villain revival. Of course we hope to quell this revival before it takes hold… but as a school we need to take the necessary precautions. It may sound grim, but it is not unreasonable to see a considerable increase in countervillain scenarios." Principal Nezu opened the discussion. In the room with him were many of U.A.'s teachers. By his side sat Eraserhead, Class 1-A's homeroom teacher._

" _That means that battlin' with robots ain't gonna be all that practical. The robots were, to begin with, conceived with the purpose of avoiding claims that our entrance exam was too dangerous. But now we need something as close to reality as possible." Snipe spoke as he brought to light the objective for this reunion._

 _They were about to decide whether or not to change the practical exams that concluded the semester. To ditch the robots in favor of having the students pairing up against the teachers as it was suggested around the time of the midterms._

" _Complains? That's all? We can just ignore the complains… how irrational." Eraserhead grunted._

" _We can't really give ourselves that luxury right now, can we?" Midnight pointed out the fact that U.A. had taken a blow to its image._

" _I understand the need to change this semester's exam, but isn't that a bit…" Cementoss offered, but his concerns about the proposed change were clear._

" _It feels unfair." Thirteen concluded the thought._

" _Yeah, we can't give the students proper grades if we just stomp them outright." Present Mic agreed._

" _That's why we need to give them an advantage." Snipe cleared the doubts._

" _Principal, what do you think?" Eraserhead asked as he turned to face the diminutive head of the institution._

" _I agree with changing the exam. There is no better solution to keep our students safe from danger than making the students themselves stronger. It's that simple." Principal Nezu made his decision and one by one the teachers came to agree with the change._

" _Now, to decide on the pairs and the teachers who will face them; I took in consideration things such as their grades, how they fight and their interpersonal relationships. There are some obvious ones; Mic, you will be going against Jiro and Koda. Both of them rely on sound for their Quirks, drown them out… Thirteen, Uraraka relies on gravity and Aoyama on light, your Blackhole can deal with both at once." Eraserhead explained._

" _Ohh that's nasty, Eraser!"_

" _Very well."_

" _I'm pairing up Midoriya and Bakugo for no other reason than how poorly they get along. No grades, no nothing… now we only need an opponent that will for sure force them to work together. You have a liking for Midoriya, All Might. Do with him as you see fit." Eraserhead turned to the skeletal figure of Japan's number one hero._

 _All Might just nodded nervously in surprise._

" _My original plan was to have Machibuse and Yaoyorozu against you, Principal; to pit the class' top two tacticians against an enemy they wouldn't be able to outthink. But I have been reconsidering this pair since the last month. I don't think it is rational to do so anymore." homeroom teacher explained._

" _They have become close, yes?" the Principal asked with some delight in his tone._

 _Eraserhead nodded without changing his expression._

" _Machibuse's situation regarding the midterms was the culmination of many unforeseen circumstances, but we have already gone over that. What pushes me to reconsider pairing him up with Yaoyorozu for the finals is how those two might come to simply rely too much on each other for their own good… Yaoyorozu still leads the class when it comes down to the academic part of things, but her performance during practice has dropped since the Sports Festival, with the only notable exception being the last mock battle conducted in May, the last time they were paired together. The simple solution is to pair her with someone else… Todoroki and her both are over reliant on their Quirks and are weak in close combat, I will erase their powers and exploit that weakness." he explained._

" _No objections." the other teachers agreed._

" _This however creates the issue of pairing Machibuse. Ashido or Kaminari are possibilities if we want to force him into working with someone that normally doesn't think ahead. Iida and Kirishima are, for better or worse, ones that would likely resist following his underhanded plans. I have devised some possible match-ups, and I feel it would be best if we analyze them one by one…" Eraserhead continued._

" _I may have a better idea…"_

 _-._

 **Current day, June 30th, U.A. Highschool Central Square, 0955.**

Today was, by all intents and purposes, the final day of the first semester for Class 1-A and morale was high.

The last three days had been devoted to the written part of the final exams. Machibuse was mildly unease about the tests at first but that sensation quickly left him once he returned the first day's exam feeling as if he had blasted that out of the water. The same feeling was also present during the second day's, albeit that one consisted of English and literature and he expected to do well on those.

Even the hero studies exam, the hurdle that sealed his fate during the midterms, had been cleared with ease much to his surprise.

All that studying paid off.

Momo had saved his life and compensation was due. Now he just needed to think of how he would pamper her.

And pass on the practical part of the exam. That was also on the "to do" list.

And that's why Machibuse and his classmates were all ready and waiting in their costumes. Lined up in front of them were eight of the teachers.

"Let's begin the practical exam." Aisawa spoke as the clock on the central square turned the hour.

"It is of course possible to fail this exam, so don't mess up if you want to attend the summer camp." he added with a sigh.

"That is a lot of teachers…" Jiro mused as she counted.

"Knowing you guys, you probably asked around and might have an idea of what is about to happen…" Aisawa spoke tiredly

"It's a robot rumble! Like the entrance exam!" Kaminari cheered as he struck a pose.

"Fireworks! Curry! Truth or Dare!" Ashido joined in, both of them hyped up as the prospect of fighting robotic enemies allowed them to just go all out with their Quirks.

Machibuse had also learned about the final exam being a battle against the mechanical enemies, but that actually had him very much uneasy. His chemicals weren't going to do much against non-living targets.

"Not quite! Various circumstances have demanded a revision of the exam!" Principal Nezu called out as he popped from Aisawa's scarf.

"The Principal!" Sero, like most of the students, was surprised about his hiding spot.

"A revision…?" Yaoyorozu asked, preferring to focus on the task at hand.

" _Can't get much worse…"_ Machibuse pondered as he watched Nezu climbing down Aisawa's Capture Weapon, his mask hiding the relief in his face as he once more avoided dealing with the robots from the regular entrance exam.

"From now we'll focus on battles against flesh-and-blood opponents. It is critical that your training is as close to reality as possible! As such, you students will be paring up, working together to facing one of the teachers you see here!" the Principal explained what was about to happen.

" _Well, that got a lot worse…"_ Machibuse stood corrected. A quick headcount showed another issue, there were only nine teachers including the Principal and there would be ten pairs of students to be tested.

"A-against a teacher?" Uraraka voiced the class' sudden shift in morale.

"First things first… Machibuse-san, even if this is made to be a simulation of real countervillain scenario, please understand that this is still considered part of the exams. Your weapons permit was approved on special conditions and it would be unfair with your classmates to allow you to proceed with the exam carrying restricted gear. We might be able to work around that next time but for the moment I ask that you leave said gear outside the exam grounds." the Principal pointed out as he called the masked student.

Machibuse nodded as he unstrapped his quivers and the bag of caltrops, handing them alongside his bow to a clone that Ectoplasm spawned. It was somewhat disappointing to do so, but he was given a valid enough reason.

"Beyond that, the match-ups have already been decided based up different aspects such as fighting style, grades and personal relations. The pairs will be… Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, You are against me." Aisawa explained as he readied his weapon an gave the duo a challenging grin.

"Midoriya and Bakugo, you are a team as well… and your opponent will be…" the homeroom teacher continued as the two now teammates looked at each other unconformably. They were about to open their mouths when something interrupted.

All Might.

Apparently Machibuse wasn't the one to draw the short stick…

"You two, work together to beat me!" All Might posed the challenge.

One by one the teams and their respective opponents were revealed. It took Machibuse some effort to keep his façade.

"The time limit for the exam is thirty minutes. Your objective is to either handcuff your teacher or for one of you to escape through the gates!" Nezu explained as he help up a set of yellow colored handcuffs.

"Capture or escape? It's pretty much combat training." Kaminari observed.

"Can we really just escape?" Ashido asked in doubt.

"As long as you work together to ensure that at least one of you escapes the battlefield then both students pass the exam." The Principal gave her a thumbs up.

"But keep in mind that this will be much different than training, listeners! You will be going against someone waaaaaay out of your league!" Present Mic assured confidently.

"Better than us… really?" Jiro mused in a deadpan tone as she eyed her opponent much to his displeasure.

"HEY GIRL WATCH YOUR MOUTH, HUH!?" Present Mic warned, clearly tilted by the comment.

"This time it will be akin to the real thing. Think of us as villains." Thirteen resumed the explanation.

"It's ok to engage combat if you think you can defeat the opponent…" Snipe suggested.

"However, if there is too much of a gap between you and your enemy it would be wiser to escape and find reinforcements… Todoroki, Iida, Machibuse, Midoriya. I am sure the four of you understand this better than everyone." Aisawa concluded the explanation.

The four students that survived the Hero Killer tensed at that. Both Todoroki and Machibuse remained silent, the later mindlessly placing a hand over his scarred abdomen.

"I won't make another mistake like that… I will pass this test and prove that." Iida swore as he fully closed his wounded hand with some effort.

"Fight and win or run and win…" Midoriya mused.

"That's right!" All Might called out.

"However now you must be thinking that your only way to victory is to escape! That's why we had the Support Course make these for us!" he continued while fishing something from his belt.

"Ultra-Compressed Weights! We will put on about half of our body mass to give you a handicap. It may be a little old-fashioned, but it makes movement hard and eats up stamina!... Crap that's heavier than I thought…" All Might finished with the details of the exam as he and the other teachers equipped the weights around their wrists and ankles.

"By the way, there was a competition to decide on the design, and we ended up using young Hatsume's! She is a friend of yours, am I correct, young Machibuse?" All Might added as he turned to the student.

"I suppose those have been tested thoroughly then, right sensei? I wholeheartedly trust Hatsume-san's craftsmanship… but I cannot say her inventions aren't prone to exploding." Machibuse quirked an eyebrow as he faced Power Loader.

All the teachers turned to Power Loader as well, some with mild worry on their faces.

"Her first prototype somehow went up in flames… I still have no idea how she made tungsten alloy self-combustible, but I assure this one is safe." the short teacher soothed the concerns.

"These are to allow us to fight you? Are you underestimating us?" Bakugo interrupted as he asked All Might with a lot of poison in his voice.

"Hahaha… I wonder." Japan's number 1 turned serious now

The atmosphere got heavier.

"First team get going. The others are free to watch the exams from the surveillance room or to discuss strategies as a team while waiting their turns… Do as you want." Aisawa spoke as the teachers got moving.

"Ojiro-kun, I'd like to see what we can do with our Quirks combined." Iida turned to his partner.

"Of course." Ojiro immediately responded.

"Tokoyami-chan, let's come up with a plan." Asui also got moving as her partner agreed with the idea.

There was a brief silence as some of the students watched Bakugo walking away from his partner without a word.

Machibuse took a deep breath. That wasn't a good sign, but part of him preferred teaming up with Bakugo than what the teachers had saved for him.

"Machibuse-san we gotta work on how to get those pointy thingies you have to rip Midnight-sensei's clothing apart!" Mineta called his partner out with gusto.

Eighteen other possible partners and he was left in charge of babysitting that pervert while fighting Midnight.

Machibuse took another deep breath. The second of many he would need.

-.

 **June 30th, U.A. Highschool Surveillance Room, 1050.**

It was Machibuse's second time entering the surveillance room since he joined U.A., last time he watched Midoriya's infamous zero-pointer takedown. Oddly enough he could see Midoriya, but not on the screens, he was watching the exams alongside Uraraka and Recovery Girl. His two classmates likely have been watching since the beginning, so he would ask them later about how Kirishima and Sero failed.

On the main screen Machibuse could see Iida and Ojiro approaching the escape gate with care.

"What's the situation?" he asked as he approached.

The three jumped a little.

"DON'T SCARE AN OLD LADY LIKE THAT!" Recovery Girl shouted as she gave Machibuse's shoulder a light smack with her walking stick.

"I apologize ma'am. It wasn't my intention." Machibuse bowed sharply towards the nurse as she now whacked his head a couple more times for good measure.

"Iida-kun and Ojiro-kun are trapped... Power Loader-sensei dug pitfalls all over the arena." Midoriya explained after a moment to regain his composure.

"Why you gotta sneak up on us like that?" Uraraka asked flustered.

"Edgeshot ordered me to walk without making sound. He has yet to release the order." Machibuse explained nonchalantly.

The three other people in the room just stared at him for a moment before something happened in the main screen.

Iida was giving Ojiro a piggyback ride and speeding up across the battlefield as massive sinkholes formed behind them.

The two would reach the exit if they kept going like that.

But of course Power Loader would not allow that to happen.

The teacher quickly collapsed the already fragile ground and moved to ambush.

Iida jumped high.

Ojiro quickly used his tail to grab hold of the class president's leg.

A lot of force was being pumped out by the exhausts as Ojiro was spun around.

The tailed teen then released and was sent flying towards the escape after vaulting over Power Loader.

Iida and Ojiro had passed.

"They are amazing!" Uraraka cheered for a moment as the camera zoomed in on Iida…

He was buried neckdown into the ground.

The surveillance room was quiet as they watched Power Loader digging him up.

"Well…" Midoriya broke the awkward silence.

"…Over planning already, Machibuse-san?" he asked. For Machibuse to have come to the surveillance room just now rather than since the beginning it meant that he was busy before.

"Negative." Machibuse responded.

"Then shouldn't you be with Mineta-kun?" Midoriya quirked an eyebrow. Something was clearly off.

"I needed a break from Mineta-san. He asks to many questions." Machibuse responded with a hint of tiredness in his voice.

"Huh? Questions about?" Uraraka's face was clear confusion.

Right on cue the main screen turned to display the fourth team to take the exam, focusing on Yaoyorozu for a moment.

Machibuse allowed himself a small smile behind his surgical mask at the sight.

"Oh…" Midoriya and Uraraka both said in unison as they connected the dots.

"That and he is keen on having me concoct some aphrodisiac with my Quirk "to help a brother out"." Machibuse spoke, the quote coming from his usually monotone voice as if it had burned him to repeat it.

"Eww." Uraraka's expression turned to disgust.

"Can you actually do that?" Midoriya asked. His voice a mix of being creeped out by the idea but still curious about anything Quirk-related.

"Likely I can. But that's something I would much prefer to leave unanswered. My powers are already questionable enough." Machibuse decided to bury the topic while wondering if bashing his head hard enough against the wall would lead to short-term memory loss.

The fourth battle started.

It didn't escape Hakuba how Momo was clearly nervous as Todoroki took the leading role. The team ran through the narrow streets of the battlefield as she continuously created matryoshka dolls.

Yaoyorozu suddenly stopped to say something.

Recovery Girl was the only one that could hear what was being said through the com, but her expression gave away the reason why.

Kendo's words echoed in his mind.

" _There was that one time when Yaoyorozu said something about "not being a worthy student"… didn't really asked her about that though."_

It had begun all the way back after her fight with Tokoyami... Momo had lost her self-confidence. No wonder she refused to tell whenever Hakuba asked her about it, she had already told him that she was afraid of being seen as weak all the way back that day she followed him to the cemetery.

Now all that fear she backed up broke the dam.

She ran away in panic as Eraserhead captured her teammate.

Recovery Girl turned to Machibuse with a knowing look; Yaoyorozu had been comparing herself to the other two recommended students and decided that she was not on par with them… Todoroki and Machibuse both had their own hurdles to surpass but were always pushing forward while she was left to watch.

Everyone in the surveillance room could tell that Machibuse was tense as he watched Yaoyorozu using her Creation to escape Aisawa before turning back and running towards Todoroki, the Chelicerae on his upper back appearing as he shifted his shoulders before retracting back inside slowly. To Uraraka and Midoriya it was simply worry for someone he was intimate with, but the nurse knew it was much more than just that.

Hakuba had realized that not only he was core part of the problem but also that he was the only one that would never be able to truly help Momo; were he the one to always tell her to push forth then she would never be able to stand-up on her own.

That responsibility rested upon Todoroki's shoulders right now and he had only one chance.

Yaoyorozu by now had just reached her captured teammate.

Eraserhead was hot on her heels .

She was still panicking.

Machibuse could only try to read what Todoroki shouted at her while the teacher prepared to strike… something about votes.

Time slowed down as Yaoyorozu reached for the matryoshkas tucked in her belt.

Whatever Todoroki said had brought at least some clarity to her.

Momo's expression turned to one Hakuba had only seen very few times since the Sports Festival.

He smiled under his mask.

A bright light filled the main screen for a moment.

She was back on her feet.

-.

 **June 30th, U.A. Highschool Surveillance Room, 1125.**

"I can't believe she used her opponent's power to her advantage!" Midoriya spoke excitedly as Uraraka and Aoyama successfully subdued Thirteen and passed the exam.

"Gero… to me it seemed that Ochako-chan did it by accident." Asui observed. She had come to the surveillance room just as Uraraka's exam had begun.

"You sure?" Midoriya asked confused.

"Yes. She was talking with Aoyama-chan and something happened, so she let it go of the railing… I wonder what they were talking about…" Asui responded, her expression showing the faintest signs of curiosity. Who would have guessed that a frog would be so hard to read?

"I agree with Asui-san, something got Uraraka-san by surprise. Although she managed to salvage the situation in the end… the training she underwent at Gunhead's is surely showing results." Machibuse added, his lipreading only allowed him to understand that Aoyama had mentioned Midoriya's name…

" _Oh."_ Machibuse quirked an eyebrow as he glanced at his green-haired classmate.

"Call me Tsu.". Asui corrected.

"We have already gone over this in the past. More than once in fact." Machibuse responded.

Midoriya was just left wide eyed as his two unreadable classmates just stared at each other unblinkingly.

Were they challenging each other?

Luckily the door opened, breaking the silent stalemate.

"Uraraka-kun passed, huh? Didn't expect any less." Iida spoke as he walked in alongside Yaoyorozu.

"Congrats to both of you Iida-kun, Yaoyorozu-san!" Midoriya greeted his classmates as they approached.

"Thanks!" both of them nodded back.

"Glad to have you back, Momo." Machibuse's expression softened as he turned to meet her.

"Sorry that I had you worried." Momo gave a small smile, blushing slightly both because she understood what he meant by that and because having Hakuba calling her by her name in public was still something new to her.

Iida took a deep breath.

"Go on, the watchman is not looking this time." he said as he fixated his eyes on a point in the ceiling.

All his classmates and the nurse gave a hearty laugh as the class president for the first time was willing to overlook a breach in the school's code of conduct. Even said class president couldn't help but chuckle.

The two simply held hands for a moment, fingers entwined tightly while the opportunity lasted. They were too entertained by Iida's unexpected reaction and still far too shy to do much more than that in public.

"Don't get to used to it, this is a special occasion." Iida warned with clear amusement in his voice as he adjusted his glasses.

The main screen turned to the next exam site.

"Which is the next team to take the exam?" Asui asked to no one in particular.

"The sixth match will be Ashido-san and Kaminari-san. They are up against the Principal." Yaoyorozu responded as everyone now turned to watch.

"The Principal, huh? I wonder how he fights…" Midoriya mused as everyone now waited expectantly.

The buzzer sounded.

Ashido and Kaminari immediately were on the move, their adversary nowhere in sight as they traversed the industrial site their exam took place in.

Suddenly the piping above them collapsed, forcing the team to run away as more rubble continued to endanger them.

Every turn they took was followed by something breaking or exploding.

"The crane is moving." Machibuse spoke with intrigue in his tone as he pointed towards one of the secondary screens that showed an aerial view of the entire battlefield.

"The principal is riding the crane!?" Iida asked in shock.

"But how is he attacking them…?" Midoriya was also baffled.

"He is so far away from them." Asui mused.

"It's probably his forecasts." Yaoyorozu responded.

"Forecasts?" Asui asked as everyone but Machibuse turned to Yaoyorozu.

"Yes. What is more impressive is that he probably reached those through calculating every possibility." Yaoyorozu explained impressed.

"The Principal turned the whole battlefield into a Rube Goldberg machine. He likely has won this battle before they even started the exam." Machibuse added as he scanned the aerial view of the arena intensely.

"Humans did a bunch of experiments on Nezu in the past, so at times like this he can't help but let out his true self." Recovery Girl explained as one of the cameras showed the usually happy and polite principal laughing manically as he drank a cup of tea.

The five students in the room now were left in utter shock as disaster unfolded before their eyes.

Ashido and Kaminari continued to run, they looked lost.

"He is one step ahead of everything they can think of." Midoriya spoke.

"And they can't fight back because they can't find the Principal." Asui added.

Machibuse gave up on trying to read the Principal's moves, but he managed to figure one thing out.

"The principal is cutting their access routes towards the escape gate one by one… Ashido-san and Kaminari-san need to escape, and they need to do so fast." he observed.

"A completely perfect plan…" Yaoyorozu was at a loss for words.

Time eventually ran out.

They failed the exam.

The five students in the surveillance room were left to ponder on the consequences as Uraraka made it back into the room.

"What? Mina-chan's team lost?" she asked as she rushed in looking at the defeated students in the main monitor.

"The Principal's strategy was just too perfect." Yaoyorozu explained how it came to happen.

"Really? That's too bad!" Uraraka responded, shaking her fists in protest.

That got the mood somewhat down, those two were some of the most excited to attend the summer camp. Class 1-A was currently down four members for the trip.

"Uraraka-kun! Congratulations on passing!" Iida tried to boost the morale.

"Thanks! Good job as well!" Uraraka responded happily.

"Ochako-chan, when you were fighting against Thirteen-sensei… what were you and Aoyama talking about?" Asui, as straight to the point as usual, asked as she approached.

"Huh? We were talking about…" Uraraka started but then stopped as she tried to remember the conversation.

She immediately turned bright red and started stuttering about how nothing happened while flailing her hands defensively.

Once more Machibuse rose an eyebrow as he looked back and forth between Midoriya and Uraraka. Once more Ashido's overly romantic tendencies appeared to have rubbed off on him.

Momo sure noticed the change in Hakuba's expression, but the buzzer for the seventh match rang and all the attention turned to the main screen once more.

It was Jiro and Koda versus Present Mic.

This one would be quick, one way or another.

"This exam matches the students against the teachers they'd have the hardest time against on purpose, right?" Iida asked.

"Yes, those two have Quirks based on sound. What will they do against an opponent that drowns out sound?" Midoriya explained the scenario.

"I am just glad we can't hear Present Mic-sensei from here." Machibuse spoke.

"You dealt with his Quirk before?" Yaoyorozu asked the boy at her side.

"Negative." Machibuse responded vaguely without taking his eyes from the screen.

There was a small silence as his classmates were left confused.

"Permission to break protocol?" he asked.

The five other students in the room just nodded in consent.

"Mic just annoys the shit outta me." Machibuse responded without changing his tone or stop paying attention to the exam.

Deep down they all knew that was the reason because of Machibuse's outburst against the stadium speakers back during the Sports Festival, but that didn't make the reveal any less stupid. Uraraka couldn't help but stifle a laugh, Iida, Midoriya and Asui just stared in silence and Yaoyorozu slowly brought a palm to her face and took a deep breath.

On the screen they now could see Jiro and Koda hiding behind a rock as the teacher periodically blasted them with sound.

Suddenly Koda ran away in panic and tried to hide behind a tree just as Jiro showed him something.

The two were trying to discuss something in between Present Mic's attacks when Jiro decided to destroy the rock he was using to hide.

Another sound wave washed upon them. Jiro's sensitive hearing was turned upon her, she would pass out at this rate. Koda dropped to his knees, trembling.

Suddenly Koda rushed back in and started speaking against the ground.

"Bugs?" Asui pointed out.

Machibuse now understood why Koda had panicked before. Fear was something they both needed to overcome.

An honest smile remained hidden behind the surgical mask over Machibuse's face.

What followed could be only described as impressive.

At least for Machibuse and, by the looks of it, Asui. The other four students were absolutely terrified as they watched hundreds of crawling creatures climbing on Present Mics's leg.

They could actually hear him screaming this time and Machibuse found that one scream to be way more amusing than he should.

Mic was out cold on the ground.

Jiro and Koda passed.

"That's hard even for a pro…" Iida spoke weakly.

"Koda-kun, that's harsh…" Midoriya managed to speak as well.

"How pathetic, taken down by some bugs!" Recovery Girl complained as she watched the unmoving teacher.

Took the students some time to recover.

"Very well. I will be taking my leave." Machibuse spoke as he gave a short nod towards his classmates and bowed to the nurse.

"Aren't you going to watch Shoji-san's…?" Midoriya asked as his friend pulled his hood up and began walking away.

"Shoji-san is not going to fail, there is no need for me to cheer on. And I need to at least attempt to talk some sense into my teammate another time." Machibuse responded, tucking his hands into his pockets mildly tired just with the thought of dealing with Mineta.

"Don't you dare to fail on yours, heard me Hakuba?" Momo pretty much ordered despite her sweet tone.

Hakuba half-turned to meet her eyes for a moment.

"Orders received."

-.

 **June 30th, U.A. Highschool Ground Delta, 1300.**

" _I really miss my bow."_

Machibuse was currently taking cover behind a boulder. Constant training on hand-to-hand combat was a must so he wouldn't become over reliant on his archery skills, but he added the weapon to his gear exactly to cover scenarios such as the one he was currently in; Midnight's precision with her whip and the power behind each hit made it insanely hard to close in.

But that wasn't the only reason he missed the weapon right now…

"AAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

… he wanted to shoot his teammate down.

That exam would've been much easier to do alone. Mineta Minoru was simply a liability at this point.

But that was the catch.

Mineta had been running around for the last nine hundred seconds, tossing the sticky balls of his Pop Off Quirk in despair every time Midnight cornered him, and she was happily playing chase as long as she wasn't led too far away from the gate.

Over the course of those nine hundred seconds Machibuse tried to get the drop on his teacher a total of six times but Midnight proved to never drop her guard, always ready to step back into her ideal range and she would never get too close to places where she expected him to he could strike unseen from.

Despite Machibuse's warnings, Mineta once more threw a volley of projectiles as the teacher got closer.

"Calm yourself down, Mineta-san! It will be impossible for me to move if you continue to attack like that!" Machibuse shouted. By this point there were few rocks around the escape gate he could hide behind without risking getting stuck and the floor was littered with traps much worse than caltrops.

Mineta was also bleeding quite a bit from overusing his Quirk.

 _*WHIP*_

"Oh, there you are!" Midnight spoke playfully as she struck the boulder with enough force to chip the surface. Having Mineta trapping for his own teammate was not something that Midnight had in minded when she suggested pairing those two against her, but she would gladly take it.

Machibuse dashed out towards his dead weight of a partner, at least Mineta was small, so it was easy to just pick him up and run before he caused more trouble.

 _*WHIP*_

Machibuse winced in pain but kept going, cartwheeling on his left hand as he grabbed Mineta's cape with his right, pulling the smaller teen alongside him when he landed safely behind another boulder.

"It's easy for you to say that! You are immune to her Quirk so stop acting cool! I can't even get a whiff of her!" Mineta complained, the last sentence a little too real for his own liking.

"I want to be a cool hero too! I want to be popular with the girls! And because I am stuck with your overachieving ass I got one of the hardest tests! This is your fault, you murdering madman! AND JUST TO RUB SALT ON THE WOUND YOU WILL BE THE ONE CODDLED OVER BY YAOYOROZU AND THAT AMAZING RACK OF HERS WHEN WE FAIL THIS!" the tantrum continued.

That did it for Machibuse.

He had heard enough.

-.

 **June 30th, U.A. Highschool Surveillance Room, 1300**

"About that thing of matching up the students against the teachers that would give them the most work gero… why exactly is Hakuba-chan fighting Midnight-sensei? Isn't he immune to chemical-based effects?" Asui asked as she and the other four students watched Machibuse jumping out the cloud created by Midnight's Somnambulist and diving back into the rocky cover provided by the environment.

"Yeah… I get that he was paired with Mineta-kun because they don't really get along, but if he can just walk through Midnight-sensei's Quirk like that why doesn't he simply makes an escape when she goes for Mineta-kun? He is second only to Hagakure-san's when it comes down to stealth." Midoriya pondered with a hand on his chin.

"Because he will fail the exam by default if he escapes alone. And he knows that." Yaoyorozu responded as she watched the screen with worry.

"What do you mean by "fail by default", Yaoyorozu-san?" Iida asked, worried about the implications of that, since during his own exam only Ojiro had escaped while he was left trapped on the ground.

"The Principal said it himself: As long as we work **together** to ensure that at least one of us escapes the battlefield then both students will pass the exam." Yaoyorozu reminded her classmates of what was said earlier.

"Machibuse-kun was especially problematic to fit into this exam… this match-up was Midnight's idea actually, she said that something happened between those two during the Sports Festival and wanted to exploit that." Recovery Girl offered an explanation.

Yaoyorozu's eyes went wide at that. She knew very well what Midnight had seen.

The image of Machibuse being struck in the back by Midnight's whip caused everyone to become quiet for a moment. Luckily for him he was hit on the bullet-proof vest he wore, but it was clear that he still felt that.

Mineta started arguing with Machibuse after the former was carried towards cover.

Recovery Girl was the only one that could hear them. And she was dead quiet.

What followed that got everyone in shock.

Everyone in the surveillance room watched as the Chelicerae on Machibuse's right hand sprung forth as he tried to attack his own teammate.

Mineta threw himself to the ground to dodge, scampering away as he attacked Machibuse in despair with his sticky balls.

"WHAT ARE THEY DOING!?" the spectators in the surveillance room shouted.

Everyone but Yaoyorozu.

She was too afraid to scream, her face completely drained of color.

The taller teen apparently couldn't be bothered with chasing as he mindlessly dodged the projectiles. He turned to face Midnight head on.

That certainly got the teacher off guard as he quickly closed the distance while she was thinking of a way to diffuse the situation between her students before it got out of hand.

By instinct she ripped open a piece of her costume, creating a large amount of pink mist as she avoided Machibuse's quick series of attacks and feints.

Machibuse's technique was different than usual, more unpredictable and precise. He was moving faster as well.

Iida and Midoriya both were stunned, that change was too similar to what happened to Stain once he started to get desperate.

While both of the fighters were taking absolute care as to not touch the Pop Off balls that littered the battlefield, Midnight was slowly recovering her ground as the surprise wore off but the sudden change in behavior from her opponent still made it hard for her to counter properly.

"Machibuse-san can't keep this up for long… and even then…" Midoriya observed with clear worry in his voice.

Machibuse pounced after Midnight, he was not going to lose this opportunity.

Yet his movements became slower as he approached.

He was now slowly tottering towards Midnight, lazily moving his arms as he attempted to attack.

"Midnight-sensei's Quirk!?" Uraraka asked confusedly.

"Can't be! Does Machibuse-kun have a cap to his resistance?" Iida asked equally surprised with the sudden shift.

"Is Hakuba-chan pretending?" Asui tossed the possibility as they all watched him fall forward…

With his face straight into Midnight's bosom.

An angry, pulsating vein immediately popped into Yaoyorozu's forehead. All the fear and worry in her being immediately evaporating.

"Oh that idiot better not be pretending to pass out, for his own good."

-.

 **June 30th, U.A. Highschool Ground Delta, 1305.**

Midnight expected many things out of this battle.

Having one of her opponents nose-diving into her breasts wasn't one of them. At least not this one opponent.

Took her a few seconds to move after that, the teenager falling to the ground like a sack of bricks once she did so.

At first she poked him lightly with her foot. Then she kneeled down carefully before checking his pulse before opening one of his eyes with her fingers to check for any movement.

Machibuse, the one student she considered immune to her Quirk was completely out because of it. She knew the symptoms her perfume caused very well.

"Well…" Midnight mused as she stared at the sleeping teenager, she was rather disappointed.

Her expression immediately turned to one far more sadistic as she spotted Mineta crying blood in the distance.

Now that she didn't need to worry about Machibuse sneaking out she could treat herself with some fun for the next ten minutes or so.

Once more Mineta was on the run, he needed to get away from her.

 _*WHIP*_

His cries about the situation were interrupted as Midnight struck the back of his head, sending him to the floor in pain.

"Seeing someone running away from me screaming like that gets my sadistic side throbbing, sorry if I can't help it." Midnight approached menacingly.

"You are toeing the line there Midnight!" Mineta got up trembling.

Once more he ran away. The pink haze creeping closer.

"Go on, keep talking. One breath and it will be over for you." Midnight taunted.

Yet Mineta had a smile on his face.

"It's not that I'm a fan of pervy heroes like you! I ran and whined, fanning your sadistic side just to draw you into the trap! I DID ALL THAT IN ORDER TO BE COOL!" Mineta cried out as he suddenly turned and rushed at Midnight.

"Are you saying that you had me in the palm of your hand all this time? That's fine, you won't get away!" the teacher responded with enthusiasm.

"I don't need to worry about that! Our plan already worked!... Grape Rush!" Mineta spoke as his final volley of Pop Off balls stuck the teacher's hand to her whip and her whip to the ground.

Midnight was trapped. But it didn't matter since the diminutive teenager was already falling asleep.

"That was pretty amazing! A shame you will fail after coming this far… "our" plan!?" Midnight asked in shock as she turned.

Machibuse was holding the slumbering Mineta by his collar so he wouldn't hit the ground.

"Would not be fair to leave him behind after that." Machibuse spoke as he picked up Mineta and slung him over his shoulder.

"How are you…?" Midnight asked confusedly.

"Synthesized a weaker drug based on the sleeping perfume I inhaled, just so I would be out for a minute or two to fool you into thinking your Quirk broke through my immunity. Got the idea when he said that I was making the test harder for him; if I got out of the picture then you would surely drop your guard." Machibuse explained as he pulled his mask down and revealed that he had stabbed his own tongue with the Chelicerae inside his mouth.

"That fight was part of the act?" Midnight gave up, amusement clear on her face.

"That moment back at the Sports Festival was the reason why I got paired with him to face the only teacher that could have seen what happened back then. I needed an excuse to rush in, so I played the part. Sorry if I had to let myself go while the drug kicked in, I am not a very good actor." Machibuse responded as he pulled the mask back up, bowed lightly and turned towards the escape gate.

The speaker announced their success.

Machibuse couldn't help but offer the praises to his sleeping classmate, even if Mineta wouldn't be able to listen.

"Don't think you and I will ever be on the same page, but I can't deny you will end up being the cool hero you dream to be if you keep it like that, Mineta-san."

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Took Mineta only one whole semester to gain Machibuse's respect, now we just need to wait and see how long that will last…**_

 _ **Regardless of that! Exams passed! Semester cleared!**_

 _ **Until next time!**_


	26. Summer

**July 1st, U.A. Main Building, 1st Year Floor, 0835.**

"And after that you decided that the best course of action would be to rush in against an armed opponent?"

"I knew that Snipe-sensei would not shot to kill, and the likelihood that he would even shot me directly at all was really low."

"If he was a real villain you would be dead… We don't need even to go that far; if it were me there wouldn't be something like warning shots. You pushed your luck quite a bit, Shoji-san." Machibuse observed as he and his friend reached the corridor to their classroom.

"But I was against someone with standards. And it's not like you of all people can lecture me about exploiting these gaps or about putting myself in danger." Shoji responded as he motioned for Machibuse's right with his head and took the turn.

"Care to explain the "Someone with standards." part?" Machibuse quoted with a mildly unamused expression as Shoji just walked away with a shrug.

Machibuse was just left there pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand, his other carrying a purple cloth bag filled with sweets. Today was Shinso's birthday and Machibuse had no clue as to where in the floor Class 1-C was located.

He took to following the signs perched on the hallway. The Department of General Education was on the other side of the building, so it would be quite a trip.

Much to Machibuse's displeasure the route he took caught the attention of the worst possible enemies he had on that floor: The Department of Management.

Protocol: White Rider, for better or worse, had become one of the most well-known of the heroes-in-training of the first year because of his stunts during the final stage of the Sports Festival, for his work under the Ninja Hero: Edgeshot and the recording of the fight that took place during his debut and, most notably, for surviving being impaled by the Hero Killer: Stain… the video of Stain's final speech before his arrest showed Machibuse with the villain's sword clearly gouged into his abdomen.

Alongside him were: Winner of the sports festival and the student who worked under Japan's number four hero, Fiber Hero: Best Jeaninst: the unofficially named Katsuki. Winner of the Sports Festival Opening Race and "the boy saved by Stain": Deku. Winner of the Cavalry Battle, and the son of Japan's number two, Flame Hero: Endeavor: Shouto. The inheritor of the Ingenium name: the formerly named Tenya. And finally the two commercial stars in the first year: Everything Hero: Creati and Battle Fist.

Machibuse had been the only student seriously wounded during the fight against Stain according to the history spun by the Hosu police. Mostly because, while there were very few witnesses to the fight itself, his arrival at the hospital's emergency ward wasn't given that luxury due to how full the hospital was from all the people made victims by the League's assault that same night.

What had set White Rider apart from his colleagues however was the now public knowledge of his acceptance to work with people from other courses in U.A.. Unfortunately Hatsume Mei had made sure to tell everyone she knew about how her babies were part of the White Rider's arsenal and that turned Machibuse into some kind of instant win ticket for the lucky Management Course student who managed to strike a deal with him.

And he was told so many more times than he ever could want. Actually he was being told so right now as he passed by the corridor that housed the three classes filled with marketing people.

"I have an amazing idea about turning your mask into prime ad-space!"

"You have been falling off the trending topics in the Edgeshot forums, how about someone to get you back on top!?"

"There have been rumors recently about your relationship with Everything Hero: Creati! Hero couples have immense marketing potential when handled by a good PR! Can we talk about it!?"

" _AAAAAAAAAAAAAA FUCKING HELL, HATSUME!"_ Machibuse screamed in his mind as he did his best to deny the requests as politely as possible, the years of protocol speech and behavior being put to test. Unfortunately he couldn't just tell these people that any of them turning the White Rider into marketing would lead to the Hero Killer turning him into mincemeat.

It had taken Hakuba every single bit of his negotiation skills back at Tartarus to explain to Chizome why exactly he was partnered with the girl who shamelessly turned the Sports Festival into a publicity stunt. The Hero Killer had very cautiously accepted the agreement between hero and designer on the basis that Hatsume simply was way too enthusiastic when it came to her inventions and whatever money and fame she got out of him would feed back into inventing more; to her merit Hatsume Mei was as devoted to her work as Midoriya was at becoming a hero, and Chizome could respect that even if he disagreed with her methods.

The people from the Management Department however wouldn't be as lucky. Their core function simply clashed head-on with Stain's Revival of Heroics.

Denying their requests was something Machibuse did to keep them safe from the man whose teachings he swore to follow.

At least that was what Machibuse told himself. In his head he sounded less of an asshole like that.

Regardless, the door to Class 1-C was in sight and soon enough Machibuse meandered inside. General Studies classrooms were vastly different from those from the Hero Course, the desks and other mobilia were similar, but the size was something else, the classroom was about twice as big. Shinso had said that there were a lot of people stuck in there, now it made sense; there were about fifty desks and considering that there were three classes in the General Studies as opposed to the two from the Hero Course… almost four times as many students.

"You lost hero boy?"

A large teen, about as tall as Iida, sporting a large pompadour and an equally large chin stepped in Machibuse's way. This one apparently wasn't very fond of the Hero Course by judging at his expression.

"Unless the sign outside the door is wrong then I am where I am supposed to be." Machibuse responded in his usual monotone voice as he scanned the room for Shinso's mess of purple hair.

"Don't get sassy with me just because you are from 1-A." the pompadour huffed as he squinted his eyes.

"Agoyamato, you are not getting anything out of this one besides a kick in the balls." Shinso's familiar voice came from behind the teen.

"Major." Machibuse greeted as this Agoyamato fellow walked away grumbling.

"Still, what do I owe the honor of having you visiting?" Shinso asked as he approached.

"It's your birthday." Machibuse responded plainly as he offered the cloth bag.

"You are just a bundle of excitement, aren't you?" Shinso smirked as he studied the package.

"…Purple? Really?" he added as he accepted the gift.

"Actually I only realized after I finished the wrapping. Just your luck." Machibuse responded amused by the coincidence as he adjusted his hands behind his back.

"Thank you still." Shinso thanked with a somewhat awkward chuckle. People from his class knew very well he aimed to join the Hero Course, but it was the first time his relationship with people from U.A.'s crown jewel was made apparent like that.

"I should get going. Aisawa-sensei will not approve of me getting late to homeroom… He also tasked me with informing you to head to the teacher's office during lunch." Machibuse nodded, noticing how more than a few people were staring at him as if his presence offended them.

"Wonderful…" Shinso sighed. He knew that whatever his mentor had prepared for him to do during summer break would be rather goring.

Machibuse allowed himself a brief smile as he turned to leave.

"Next year you better not make me walk the whole building just to do this. Keep up, Major."

-.

 **July 1st, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 0900.**

Machibuse made it back to his own classroom just as he spotted his homeroom teacher walking down the hallway. A shame that there would be no time to chat with his friends, he only had time after the finals to speak with the boys in the locker room. Atmosphere immediately changed as Machibuse stepped in, he could tell that there was some mauling over the results by those who failed the exam, but something turned as he greeted everyone and made haste do his seat.

Momo had a very distinctive expression, her eyes squinted as if she condemned his every movement. He had received looks like that from her before, mostly when she caught him staring at places in her physique he wasn't supposed to… Actually, Machibuse could feel all the girls giving him the stink eye.

Was it because he praised Mineta after their battle against Midnight?

This would not end well.

The doors opened just as Machibuse reached his seat, for the moment he was safe from whatever the girls had in store for him.

"Morning. Unfortunately there were those who did not pass the final exams. Accordingly, for the training camp in the woods…" Aisawa begun as soon as he reached his desk in front of the class.

The four who failed were visibly in quiet distress.

"… everyone is going!" the teacher finished with unfitting enthusiasm.

"A LAST MINUTE TWIST!" they shouted in unison.

"We can go, too!?" Kirishima was barely able to remain seated.

"Really!?" Ashido asked baffled, tears on the corners of her eyes.

"Yes. Some may have failed the practical exam, but no one failed the written part… For this time's exam, we on the villain side made sure to leave a way for you students to win while watching to see how you would handle the task at hand. Otherwise most of you would've been stuck since the very beginning." Aisawa explained.

"So when you said you were out to crush us…" Ojiro pondered loudly.

"That was to make you feel cornered. In the first place, the idea of the training camp is for you to gain strength, so those who failed the practical exam are the ones who need it the most… It was a rational deception." Aisawa responded, this time clearly pleased that his lie had fooled everyone in class.

The four immediately shot up and begun cheering.

"I was tricked again! As expected from U.A… You already lied to us twice, our faith in you will weaver!" Iida also got on his feet, absolutely tilted about the deception.

"You are such a wet blanket, Iida-kun…" Uraraka pointed out.

"I will consider that. But I wasn't lying about the entire thing." Aisawa responded. His eyes shifting towards the four cheerful faces of those who failed the exam.

"Failure is failure. We have prepared a separate time for extra lessons for you lot. Frankly it will be much tougher than what you would go through if you were to stay here." he added.

The celebration immediately died out.

" _Dodged a bullet just there."_ Machibuse mused. At least everyone was going, it would be weird to go through a week without four of the most enthusiastic of his classmates.

"Anyway, on homeroom business now; your grades are all available right now, but the other teachers will be coming in to give you the complete rundown of the individual tests you took. Here with me I have the booklets with everything you will need for the camp, we leave on July 19th at seven AM sharp. Beyond that, Monday there will be an end of semester ceremony for you to attend and just a few details we need to iron out for the trip. You will be on summer break after that up until the summer camp starts."

Just as Aisawa finished speaking the door opened and Present Mic made his way inside, an envelope with the classes English tests under his arm.

It was supposed to be a lazy, unnoteworthy day…

-.

 **July 1st, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 1200.**

Lunch.

It was be sad to think that this was likely the last time Machibuse would be graced with Lunch Rush's cooking until the second semester… maybe it would be a good idea to stop by the canteen afterwards to ask for his recipe.

But lunch would have to wait it seemed.

Momo's hand landed on his shoulder.

"Go on ahead everyone, I need to have a word with him." she spoke with a soft smile, her hand however squeezed Hakuba's shoulder with quite a bit of strength.

Midoriya and Iida were quick to understand what that was about and hastily ushered the other boys out. Shoji, the only one that could read Machibuse's silent plead for help on his expression, didn't knew what that was all about… still he decided to leave just in case.

Not even five minutes later it was just Machibuse and the six girls of his class.

"Ladies." Machibuse addressed as he scanned the looks he received.

"Any idea of why this is happening, Captain?" Jiro asked as she took the seat that was normally Koda's.

"I have the suspicion that I am about to be informed." he responded, mild confusion breaking through his mask.

"Blazer off. Roll up your sleeve." Momo ordered as she walked back to her desk and picked something up from a bag.

Hakuba cautiously complied.

"Is that a polygraph?" he asked as Momo calmly hooked him up to the device.

"Yes it is, took me a few tries to make one that worked properly. Now be a good boy and explain this…" Momo responded as she was handed a phone, the lily pad keychain gave away that was Asui's.

On the screen it was a clip cut from his battle against Midnight. A clip of him stumbling forward and falling with his face right in between the teacher's sizable breasts.

Hakuba blinked a couple of times as he watched the recording in loop. He had vague memories of something white filling his vision before he fell asleep on top of something soft.

"So it seems I wasn't hallucinating about hitting a pillow on my way down…" he mused while quirking an eyebrow.

"Indeed." Jiro observed, her sensitive hearing picking up what he had just said.

It then clicked as why the girls were mad at him.

"Oh."

"So, about that explanation… you do understand that having someone else on Mineta's team is worrisome for us, especially if that someone is as capable of stealth and infiltration as you are, right?" Momo begun the questioning.

"Yeah, don't think we forgot the whole "knowing the girl's measurements" thing!" Ashido pointed and accusatory finger close at Machibuse's face, causing him to go slightly cross-eyed for a moment.

"I guarantee that this information is being kept private. If it serves to assure you that my observations are solely for practical reasons I have also the numbers on the boys. Todoroki, Bakugo, Kirishima… Kaminari, Midoriya... You name it, I have it." Machibuse responded calmly, the polygraph indicating he told the truth.

The last two surely provoked the reactions he expected from the intended targets. Jiro was surprised for a moment before furrowing her brow as a silent warning… Uraraka just lit up.

"Is that your bargain chip?" Ashido squinted her eyes as she tried to keep the subject from leading the conversation.

"Hakuba…" Momo called his attention, she knew just how quick he was to wiggle away from problems.

"Calm down girls, this is prime information!" Hagakure took the bait.

"I said I have the numbers, not that I am willing to share them. If I was there would be no guarantee that I would not tell yours' to Mineta. What kind of trust would I inspire?" Machibuse spoke, once more coming clean on the lie detector.

"He's good." Asui observed.

"I've been through the polygraph before in Okinawa. Had to take some classes from a teacher that spent over two decades in the covert ops, the hag pulled some strings for it to happen… I know how to skirt around questions I don't want to answer and while I might not be that good of a lair, tension actually makes me much more keen on it." Machibuse explained.

"Hakuba…" Momo called his attention again, he still hasn't given her an explanation and she was starting to lose her temper.

"Very well. From where you want me to start?" Hakuba relented, he knew that Momo would be way too hard to mislead. And he also had his suspicions that her worries were not just related to the clip.

"How much of that was acting?" Momo asked.

"Just the part where I attacked Mineta… I actually wanted to hit him, but I am hardly the only culprit of that crime in this room." Hakuba admitted.

Eyes turned to Asui.

"I just do what needs to be done -gero" she defended with a shrug.

"When you began fighting against Midnight-sensei…" Momo spoke, worry clear only to Hakuba.

He just nodded.

"Only allowed myself to go that far because I had already prepared the knockout drug and knew I would not do much before blacking out. I can't possibly fake something like that." His shoulders slumped.

The girls just gave Momo a puzzled look, but she just waved them off the matter.

"And about the deed itself?" she finally asked, her main worry had already been answered. Truth be told Momo already knew that he didn't meant to fall on top of another woman, this whole polygraph deal came to her mind more as a means to get Ashido to stop mauling over the fact she failed her practical exam when they met back at the locker room… it hadn't crossed her mind that Aisawa would lie again and they were worried in vain about Ashido missing the trip.

"Vague memories, but I assure you it was just an accident. I am not going to say that Midnight-sensei isn't attractive, but it never crossed my mind to plan something like that as it clearly breaches my protocol… and more importantly than that, I know that what I did goes against what I promised you back in May. Allow me to apologize." Machibuse bowed his head as he spoke.

"Now I just need half the guys I ever met to be as honest as this one…" Ashido joked.

"So, not a pervert, Captain?" Jiro asked as she watched the lie detector being turned off and stored. Maybe that thing would come to be used at a later date.

"Permission to break protocol?" Machibuse asked as he got up to put on his blazer.

"I still don't get why you even ask that." Jiro sighed as she agreed.

He calmly adjusted the clothing as he studied the path towards the door.

"Momo here keeps me busy. She knows very well where I was looking when I first saw her in costume." he spoke, a smug grin plastered over his face as he turned to face Momo.

Momo's eyes went wide and her face deep red.

He blew her a kiss and bolted out of the room for dear life.

She was frozen for a brief moment before her hand curled into a tight fist and she followed right behind.

The girls couldn't help but laugh.

-.

 **July 1st, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 1550.**

"Well, in any case I'm glad we can all go together." Ojiro spoke as he held a copy of the training camp booklet they were given.

"A week of training camp, huh?" Iida asked to no one in particular as he ran through the list of items they were supposed to take to the camp.

"We'll need to bring a lot of stuff…" Midoriya mused.

"I don't have a bathing suit or anything. Guess I'll have to buy a bunch of stuff." Kaminari spoke mildly worried about the list.

"Gotta buy me some night vision googles!" Mineta chirped in but was vastly ignored.

"Then since we are off tomorrow and we have no more finals to worry about, why doesn't Class A all go shopping together!?" Hagakure suggested with great enthusiasm.

"Oh, good idea! Wouldn't that be the first time we all get to hang out together!?" Kamirani responded as he hyped the idea.

"Hey, Bakugo! You coming too, right!?" Kirishima asked as his friend made his way outside the classroom.

"Like I'd do something so irritating." Bakugo huffed as he left the group behind.

"Will you come too, Todoroki-kun?" Midoriya turned to the quiet teen that also prepared to leave.

"I go visit my mom during our days off." Todoroki responded, at least giving a good explanation differently from Bakugo.

"What about you?" Shoji turned to Machibuse, who was currently busy going over the list.

"I already have everything; this is not my first time heading out to camp as you can guess. Just a matter of locating a couple of the required items that are stored on the boxes in my house." Machibuse responded in his usual monotone voice, his bland expression heavily contrasting the hand-shaped mark he had imprinted on his face for since lunch.

"Come on, don't be such a party pooper!" Ashido complained.

Machibuse just stared back at her, as if waiting for her to provide a reasoning. On the corner of his eye he could see Momo rolling her eyes, motioning with her head for him to step out of the classroom.

"You are so damn stupid! Get a clue you guys!"

-.

 **July 2nd, Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall, 1250.**

"And so, here we are! With the most stores in the prefecture, the newest and coolest, most advanced… Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall!" Ashido shouted enthusiastically.

Massive was the best description Machibuse could give to the group's current position, he felt overwhelmed if anything, the damn place was bigger than most public buildings in Okinawa. There were stores for basically everything, from clothing stores with articles designed for people with mutant builds, to shops filled with hero merchandise and toys, to cafés and restaurants and…

"Aren't those U.A. students!?"

"The first years!"

"I saw them on TV!"

"Sports Festival, yay!"

Hakuba tensed slightly as he instinctively stepped closer to Momo. The best description to this place was massive _and crowded_. He was starting to regret leaving the safety of his apartment.

"There are people who still remember that…" Uraraka was taken aback as she spoke to no one in particular.

"Surprised that you actually came." she added, turning as he noticed Machibuse moving somewhat defensively away from the onlookers.

"Momo can be very persuasive when she wants to be." Machibuse responded as he suppressed a sigh and eyed the crowd uncomfortably.

"Huh?" Uraraka tilted her head in confusion.

Then she remembered that yesterday those two stepped outside of the classroom for about a minute or two and when they came back Machibuse agreed immediately to join the shopping trip.

"I heard my name over here, need anything?" Yaoyorozu asked as she turned to join the conversation.

It immediately dawned on Uraraka what had happened. Her already pink cheeks begun to blush further.

"N-n-nothing!" she stammered.

Yaoyorozu just quirked an eyebrow before deciding to not press for answers.

"We are going to find some duffel bags, care to join?" she asked as Jiro also stepped closer.

Machibuse just gave a firm nod as his classmates begun forming smaller groups, some needed shoes, others needed outdoor clothes. Mineta apparently needed lockpicks and a silent drill set, luckily those were not things the little creep would find in a shopping ward.

"Alright everyone! Seems like each of us needs different things, so how about we all meet back up here?" Kirishima called everyone.

It was a sound plan. Moving in smaller detachments would not only be more time-efficient but would also reduce the chance of them drawing unwanted attention.

Seventy-two hundred seconds till regroup.

The girls took the lead as he followed closely.

"It's the Hero Killer!" a voice called from one of the stores.

Machibuse immediately stopped and turned. It was just two teenagers talking loudly as they eagerly looked the Hero Killer merchandise on display. Nine hundred and eighty yen for a Stain mask, nineteen hundred yen for a Stain scarf and three thousand yen for a plastic knock-off of the sword Machibuse currently had stored in his clothes drawer. A full Hero Killer costume costed less than ten thousand yen.

"Is this really okay?"

"It's so cool!"

"You will definitely get in trouble for this!"

Those two were laughing as one of them took pictures of the other doing poses with the mask.

That felt… wrong. Hakuba had told Stain that he would not preach his ideals, but that was just offensive. Not only to Chizome, but to every victim of his… he could now see why things needed to change in this society.

A hand held his, tightly.

"Don't mind them…" Momo spoke as she gently pulled him along, away from that store.

"Sorry, I just…" Hakuba turned his eyes to the floor.

"Only the four of you will ever truly understand what happened in Hosu. We, the ones that don't, have to see things with other eyes." Momo interrupted with some concern in her voice. She knew that meeting the Hero Killer had changed Hakuba.

That hit him very hard.

He still hadn't told Momo about his second encounter with the Hero Killer. And he still didn't know how to break the news.

Keeping secrets from her was something that, for better or worse, weighted on his mind a lot.

Then something else happened.

A presence.

A familiar feeling filled Hakuba's senses.

Once more he stopped, but this time to look around.

"What happened?" Momo asked as she noticed that he was suddenly in high alert.

"I don't know." Hakuba responded as he carefully scanned the crowd. Shoji's Quirk would have been amazing to have right there.

"Hey, you two! Found a good store here!" Jiro called out, waving her arm over her head.

Hakuba couldn't really push that felling aside entirely, but he couldn't do anything about it.

He took a deep breath and resumed walking.

They entered a store. Duffel bags in sight, but the girls asked him to wait and took another corridor.

Now he was in high alert for a completely different reason.

" _I have made a terrible mistake."_ Hakuba thought as he realized what was about to happen, the girls weren't just after the Duffel bags.

About twenty minutes later the trio left the store.

Machibuse had become their packing mule.

One duffel bag in each hand, a shoebox tucked under his right arm and two plastic bags with various articles of clothing neatly hanging on the Chelicerae he had on the inside of his left elbow. On his face they had placed some sunglasses still with the price tag hanging and a wide-brimmed sun hat rested on his head. He looked ridiculous.

"Bringing him along was a really good idea." Momo turned to her friend as they entered another store.

"Told ya." Jiro replied as she looked back with a shit eating grin towards the male that accompanied them.

"Glad to see that you find my suffering amusing." Hakuba spoke as his façade twitched slightly.

Momo rolled her eyes and stepped closer, gently pressing her lips on his for a quick kiss.

"Stop complaining and you might get another." she responded with a smile.

"Yes, ma'am!" Hakuba agreed immediately, his face lighting up slightly in surprise as his back straightened. That had been the first time they ever kissed in public.

Jiro could only snicker as she watched Yaoyorozu turning bright red the second she turned her back to Machibuse.

Then there was music.

"Huh?" the girls mused as they looked back towards their packing mule.

"Left pocket." Hakuba motioned towards his leg.

Momo fished his cellphone.

"It's from Okinawa apparently." she informed as she tried to make sense of the dialect used to write the name calling before turning the screen to Hakuba.

His face immediately turned to one of pure disgust.

He took a deep breath and gestured for Momo to take the call and place the device against his ear.

Soon he was holding it in place with his shoulder.

What followed could only be described as unexpected.

Yaoyorozu and Jiro exchanged looks as they watched the usually calm and stoic Machibuse doing a complete one-eighty as the call went on. They couldn't understand a thing he was saying but he was doing a face that would put Bakugo to shame by midway through the short conversation.

Jiro could actually pick up the voice coming from his cellphone, whomever that was it was surely getting as angry as him.

People in the store stopped to look.

"Your grandmother?" Jiro asked, both surprised and amused.

"The witch, yes. Mind helping me here?" he responded before motioning towards his cellphone still locked between his ear and his shoulder.

"Dare I ask what you two were talking about?" Momo asked as she picked up the device and slid it back into the same pocket it was before.

"She decided to call in a favor I owed her." Hakuba basically growled.

"Anyways… back on with the shopping tri..." Jiro began but something interrupted them.

The alarm sounded.

Something went wrong, police and pro-heroes were rushing in towards the central plaza of the shopping ward.

"Please evacuate in orderly fashion, a villain has been spotted!" a police officer informed as he gestured for everyone the get out of the store.

"What!?" Jiro asked the policeman.

"No one is wounded, apparently the villain just confronted a student from U.A. Highschool and left. We are beginning to search the area. Now get moving kids." the officer rushed.

Momo quickly picked her student ID.

"We are from U.A. as well! Half our class is here in the mall!" she explained as she held the card out.

"Very well, you stay here. Someone will bring you guys together." the officer spoke after taking a moment to think.

Soon the shopping ward was devoid of people besides the police, the pro-heroes and the students from class 1-A.

Shigaraki Tomura had taken Midoriya hostage moments after the classmates had taken their separate ways.

He likely was the presence Machibuse felt earlier.

Shigaraki likely had been very close to the trio.

But there was no killing intent. Something was clearly off… had he come specifically for Midoriya? Did the League knew about this shopping trip or was it pure coincidence?

Monday's homeroom would sure be something.

-.

 **July 4th, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 1400.**

Machibuse liked the principal, he truly did, but hell, his speeches were boring. And this one was the single most boring they ever went through, so boring in fact that even Watchman Iida was fidgeting for a moment. How could something so small have so much to say?

"So…" Aisawa called his students awake.

"Given what happened, we are on the lookout for these villains. And thus we had to cancel our usual accommodations for the summer camp. The actual destination will be kept undisclosed until the day we depart." he explained as he ripped the flyer with the information about their usual lodgings as he spoke.

"But I already told my parents…" Sero protested.

"That's precisely the point, the school can't control who learns of this information otherwise." Yaoyorozu explained the logic.

"Is it really an issue where the camp takes place? As long as we are not concerned with scavenging for food or with sleeping on caves then it hardly makes a difference." Machibuse spoke, doing his best to quell the concerns of his classmates.

"What the hell did they do to you in Okinawa?" Kaminari asked with mild worry in his voice as he turned.

"As long as we are not canceling the whole trip its fine!" Ashido laughed.

"You should have just killed him." Bakugo growled at Midoriya once the muttering across the classroom died out a little.

"Come on, Bakugo. Didn't you hear how it was for Midoriya? And besides that, it's illegal for us to use our Quirks like that!" Hagakure stepped in Midoriya's defense.

"Do I look like I give a fuck? Just break his bones then." Bakugo responded.

A savage as usual.

Aisawa just stared blankly at the class for a moment, wondering whether or not the bickering was worth his trouble.

He decided against it, he had paperwork to do.

And his students earned at least a few days to rest.

Getting home early sounded pretty good in his books. Machibuse was about to get on his feet to leave for the day, but something caught his attention.

"We have to refrain from taking long trips over the summer?" Uraraka asked. Apparently the girls had some intel that was new to him, so he started paying attention as he made his way towards them.

"Apparently it's a request from school." Jiro explained.

"That's too bad. I was supposed to go to Venice with my parents." Yaoyorozu lamented.

"How bourgeois!" Uraraka was shock as she spoke.

Machibuse stumbled a little as he joined the conversation. Nothing like the humbling sensation of being in love with someone whose house front yard could fit the entire building he lived in.

"Seems like your plans to invite us to your place in Okinawa have gone down the drain, eh Captain?" Jiro jabbed as to drag him into the conversation.

"I stand by U.A.'s decision on this, Lieutenant. If anything I have an excuse to not deal with that fiend I call grandmother any longer than I absolutely need to." Machibuse responded.

"Don't tease me with the idea of going to the beach. I just bought a new swimsuit." Ashido grumbled.

"It can't be helped. We are being target by the League of Villains again." Jiro did her best to comfort Ashido.

"That's the reasoning for the decision?" Machibuse asked.

"Apparently the media is on U.A.'s back again." Yaoyorozu responded.

"Even so, I wanna play! I wanna go somewhere!" Ashido was having none of it, flailing her arms wildly.

"Then how about we meet up at the school pool? I think that now that we are on summer vacation it should be possible." Hagakure proposed.

"Yeah, if we are using the school pool then the teachers are sure to give us permission!" Asui agreed.

"And we won't need to spend any money on it!" Uraraka pointed out.

"I will go get permission from the school then!" Yaoyorozu got to her feet.

Apparently the girls had found something nice to do.

That gave him an idea.

-.

 **July 6th, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, Olympic Pool, 1545.**

"Alright, let's take a fifteen-minute break! I brought the for everyone! Drink up!" Iida's voice filled the air as he placed the cooler filled with cold drinks out for his classmates.

"Oh!"

"As expected from the class president!"

"I feel alive again!

Kaminari took a long sip of the orange flavored drink as he sat down in the shade besides Mineta. Their little ploy to come peep on the girls in their swimsuits was a flop from the start and they pretty much got dragged into doing real endurance training.

"Why are the girls just playing around?" he complained to his partner-in-crime.

"They got permission to use the pool for sunbathing." Mineta responded.

"Why did you apply for endurance training instead of that?" Kaminari turned mildly annoyed to know about that possibility.

"Do you think we would have gotten permission for that?" Mineta spat back.

"And why the hell is Machibuse on their side?" Kaminari turned as he pointed towards the only male on the other side of the pool.

Resting on the floor besides the pool was Machibuse. Soundly asleep by the steady rise and fall of his chest and completely unaware of the six females playing volley in the water just a few feet besides him.

"He came with them apparently, said something about needing to keep his tan. Laid down on that spot and has barely moved." Mineta explained, clearly bitter by the opportunity Machibuse wasted in front of their eyes.

An idea then downed on Kaminari as he sprung to his feet.

"Let us use him to our advantage then." he suggested with a smug grin as he walked up to the cooler and picked a few cans.

Soon both Kaminari and Mineta were close enough to have a nice look at the girls under the pretense that they were there just to get the slumbering Machibuse something to drink. He had been there laying on his back since they arrived after all.

It was very hard to not pay attention to the massive scar on his abdomen.

"Hey, wake up soldier." Mineta called as he taped Machibuse in the shoulder lightly a few times. This prompted him to sit up slowly, took him a moment to get his bearings together.

"You have been baking there for a while now, aren't you going to tan a little too much?" Kaminari asked as he kneeled and offered Machibuse the drink.

"That is hardly an issue… My gratitude." Machibuse took the can and popped it open.

"Oh, look who is still alive." Yaoyorozu spoke as she leaned against the edge of the pool.

"It was about time I turned, need to get some sun on my back as well." Machibuse responded.

"You girls want something to drink?" Kaminari offered as he pointed to the other cans he and Mineta had brought. Their little plan had actually worked, striking up the conversation with Machibuse had been just the excuse they needed to do some sightseeing.

Yaoyorozu called the rest of the girls for a break before pushing herself out of the water. The school-issue swimsuit hugging her body just the right way. Mineta and Kaminari had to keep their cool as the rest of the girls did the same, their plan was going a lot better than expected.

"Anyway, why so calm about laying here in the sun for this long? I mean, I'd be looking like a shrimp by now." Mineta continued the conversation as Yaoyorozu sat down besides Machibuse.

"I can control the rate at which my body produces melanin, it is a simple chemical process, but I still need a good sunbath like this every so often to get the cells working." Machibuse explained as he pointed towards the Chelicerae on his palm, taking a moment to see if Koda was nearby before springing the weapons out.

"Really? Didn't knew you could do that." Yaoyorozu asked as she passed the cans to Ashido and Uraraka.

"That is how I kept my tan from fading out completely since the I came here to Tokyo. These kinds of chemicals need quite a bit of time to do their work, so I need to keep pumping them into my system every so often. Been fine tuning how my skin would react to the sun since I asked to come with you on Monday." Machibuse explained before finishing his drink.

"So you pretty much can adjust your skin tone as if you were a videogame character with enough time?" Ashido resumed.

"Not how I'd put it, but it is a fair comparison… I can get my hair lighter or darker using a similar process but takes quite a bit longer for the results to show. I can also adjust my metabolism, sleep pattern and even grow taller by getting my body to produce more growth hormones, just to name a few." Machibuse concluded the explanation.

"Wait, you mean to tell me that you can get people to grow?" Mineta's interest suddenly shifted from the girls in swimsuits to the pulsating organ _thing_ visible through the scar tissue on Machibuse's hand.

"It is not as if I can turn you into Shoji-san overnight, I'd need to hit you with these about three times a day for over a month to get you about an inch or two taller without putting your health at risk. But yes, it is a possibility." Machibuse responded.

"You are literally a videogame character then. Can't say I'd be mad to be able to do the same." Ashido concluded right before Bakugo made his presence know as he shouted profanities from the other side of the pool.

" _There goes my peace and quiet…"_ Machibuse sighed.

Iida shot his hand up.

"Everyone, do you want to see which of the boys can swim fifty meters the fastest?" he called out.

"Yeah!" Kaminari responded with enthusiasm.

"Sounds fun!" Sero also agreed.

Yaoyorozu immediately created a whistle in her hand as she offered to be the referee.

Machibuse blinked idly a couple times, then promptly laid back on the floor before turning to expose his back to the sun.

"Count me out." he responded flatly and followed with a yawn.

"You really came to lay down on the floor… one would think you would be just using this as an excuse to watch the girls playing in swimsuits." Mineta was couldn't deny that he felt disappointed.

"It would be absolutely inefficient for me to do so. Momo's hero costume is far more revealing than anything the school would issue." Machibuse responded without really thinking, slowly rolling his shoulders as he got into a more comfortable position.

Momo took a deep breath as she created something else with her Quirk and approached the pool.

"Hakuba…" she called out sweetly as she walked towards him.

"Yes, Momo?…why do you have a bucke-bllgh blllgggh blllllgggghh!"

"Idiot."

-.

 **July 6th, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, Olympic Pool, 1705.**

A shame Aisawa was so punctual, Machibuse was actually interested in seeing the final heat.

Not that he had much choice, since the noise in the pool area went up to the point he couldn't fall asleep again.

Either way, it had been a good day. Been a while since Machibuse allowed himself to be this lazy, he felt relaxed. He was about to leave for the locker room when a voice called him.

"Hakuba!"

He turned, Momo approached with some spring in her step. Even if the swimsuit didn't show much she looked damn good in it… he shook his head lightly.

" _Eye contact."_ Hakuba told himself.

"There is something I need to ask you." Momo begun once she had his full attention.

"You are aware about the I-Expo next week, right?" she asked.

"Affirmative. Hatsume-san has made sure to fill me with every possible detail about the event. More than once actually." Hakuba responded, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"I know you are not really fond of going to these sort of events… but my parents received some invites… and since they are out of the country, I thought that you would like to come with me instead." Momo spoke, blushing as she shifted on her feet slightly.

Hakuba couldn't help but blush as well.

As usual she made him feel silly.

He took a moment to clear his head.

"Unfortunately I have to turn down your offer. My gratitude regardless." Hakuba responded.

Momo did her best to not show her disappointment.

"No, it's fine… I will just, see about going with the girls." she spoke before turning back to head into the locker room. She had prepared for that, but it still hurt to be denied.

His arms wrapped around her waist as he pulled her closer gently.

"Sorry Momo, I should have expressed myself better..." Hakuba spoke as he rested his head on her shoulder.

"I have an invitation already, that's why I turned you down… I will be looking forward to meeting you there."

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Movie next? Movie next.**_

 _ **More of a fun chapter I guess, decided to mesh the pool episode in there because of how short it is.**_

 _ **Regardless, there will be a slight bigger delay in between chapters for a moment. I finally got my lazy ass to go back and start rewriting the first few chapters of this story; took me a good ten of them to get back into my writing game. Just going after typos and getting the formatting the way I like, so don't worry about me sneaking anything new.**_

 _ **By now you know the drill, review, fav, preach about the fic to your neighbors… the usual.**_

 _ **See you next time.**_


	27. Movie: Two Heroes I

_**Holy… 30k views.**_

 _ **Both this chapter and the next will be on the Two Heroes movie, so if you haven't watched it yet it might be a good call to do so and then come back here!**_

-.

 **July 8th, Machibuse Residence, 0630.**

With a sigh Hakuba finished inspecting his apartment for things he might have otherwise forgotten to turn off. The water register had been shut closed tightly and he had already emptied the three small trash bins around the residence. Nothing in the fridge would go bad by the time he returned, and all the windows were shut even if the weather forecast had guaranteed that there would be no risk of rain over the next days.

"It's going to be bad. Any suggestions?" he asked, eyeing the portrait of his parents tiredly.

Not a single answer. Obviously.

"Well, at least keep an eye on the house until I'm back." Hakuba spoke as he turned to leave, the wheels of his carry-on bag squeaking as they rolled across the floor.

He walked slowly, knowing that peace would only last up until he boarded the plane to I-Island.

-.

 **July 8th, I-Island, Pinnacle Hotel & Resort, Room 1007, 1220.**

After an excruciating five-hour long flight and a short track from I-Island's airport to his current location Hakuba didn't even bothered with changing clothes before turning on the water and dropping face first into the large bed that took up a good portion of the room as he waited for the bathtub to fill.

He didn't even care that he was on what looked to be the fanciest hotel in the island, he would've been happy to sleep on the sidewalk if it meant that he would be allowed some peace and quiet.

Unfortunately, said peace and quiet would only last up until nighttime so the best Hakuba could do was enjoy the moment.

He sat on the edge of the bed and opened the steel suitcase that contained his hero costume, for some reason U.A. had sent the thing to him after he informed his homeroom teacher about the trip. He had seen costumed heroes going about on the streets of the city, it was only logical since the artificial island that by now slowly drifted towards Hawaii was built as a safe haven for scientists of the world, many of whom worked for support companies. Hatsume would've loved the place, even though she likely would find a way to sink the island by accident.

Inside the case the engineer had left a list of things she wanted for him to buy and places she wanted photos of alongside a small envelope with some money tucked inside... Hopefully close to what her shopping list would cost.

Hakuba took a deep breath and proceeded to place his costume on the bed so it would be ready to go once he was done with his bath. It was the first time he ever studied his own costume like that in months.

 _"It does not need to fit a character, ma'am. I'm a soldier, this is uniform."_

 _"You are no soldier. You are a hero."_

Hakuba couldn't help but smile at the memory. He came a long way since then, and Momo had a lot to do with it… love did weird things.

She would likely only arrive on the island in about two hours, so it would be easier for him to go after one thing or two from Hatsume's wishlist in the meantime.

Anyway, bath came before that. The used shirt was removed and folded neatly before being stored into the cabinet in front of the bathroom door. Once inside Hakuba took a moment to study himself on the mirror, tan was on point but the scar on his abdomen still stood out a lot. For someone that disliked attention so much Hakuba was still surprisingly vain, and it would still take him a while to get used to the sight of that scar.

Hakuba quickly returned to the bedroom to find his phone and set up an alarm to ring in twenty-five minutes just in case the warm water added to his post-flight tiredness caused him to fall asleep. For better or worse he was pretty much hardwired to wake up with cold water, so it wasn't unfathomable that a bathtub filled with warm water would get him sleepy.

Luckily that wasn't the case as he got out of the bathroom only feeling a little dozy. If Hakuba had been a tad bit more tired then surely he would've fallen asleep in the bathtub. Soon he was costumed and ready to see what I-Island had to offer.

-.

 **July 8th, I-Island, I-Expo, 1350.**

"Thank you for your patronage!"

Machibuse bowed towards the cashier of the store he was just about to leave before inspecting the contents of the bag in his hands. Hatsume apparently had been very diligent about her little list, the best places to buy were marked on a very well-drawn map of the island. All prices were also on the list, with the exception of the last item, a particularly expensive circuit kit produced by some Russian tech company. The amount of money she had sent also coincidently would not cover for these components… that was Hatsume's way of suggesting that he was supposed to gift her this one.

With a sigh Machibuse stored the box covered in various Cyrillic characters back into the bag, Hatsume could've just told him. He liked gifting things to his friends and, besides often getting him to pay for her lunch whenever they ate together, Hatsume never asked anything of him besides the exposition for her craft… maybe it would be nice to get her something else, something not work related.

Regardless, Machibuse now walked the lightly crowded streets of the I-Expo area, the hood of his cloak up hiding him from prying eyes even if he wasn't by far the one to draw most attention; a few people who recognized him commented about the Hero Killer incident but luckily only two people approached, a pair of Edgeshot's more devote fans asking if he would come back to the Ninja Hero's agency in the future, to which Machibuse responded that it was very likely, but that he had no idea about when that would come to happen. He wasn't on patrol, so it didn't hurt to at least try to interact with the public.

Still, he politely declined to take pictures and kept on walking.

I-Expo had a lot more to offer than just stores, there were various attractions, theme-park rides, restaurants and even stages where people competed in various games with their Quirks… some of which seemed fun, but the spectators highly discouraged Hakuba from trying any.

Hakuba's train of thought was kicked into a sudden stop as could feel the ground shaking under his feet.

That at first had him in high alert, a massive shadow eclipsed the street.

Machibuse was about to drop the bag he carried in his hand to draw his bow.

"It's the Monster Hero: Godzillo!"

A familiar voice shouted the exposition in surprise. Midoriya's characteristic green hair visible amongst the small crowd that eyed the gargantuan hero making his way.

Machibuse relaxed and was slowly making his way towards his classmate when someone else approached Midoriya; a young woman just shy of Machibuse's height, wavy blond hair, oval glasses and some very interesting proportions, very… Momo-esque was a good definition.

"He must've been invited to come by a sponsor. Many companies fly sponsored heroes here to I-Expo to show their new products, give autographs and such." she explained to Midoriya before they began walking.

Still unnoticed Machibuse decided to follow, apparently this lady was giving Midoriya a tour of the place and free intel was not to be ignored.

"I-Expo is amazing!" Midoriya spoke enthusiastically.

"There is also a party with all the industry guests tonight, too… But you'll be at that, too, right? Since you came with Uncle Might." the girl added.

" _Uncle Might? All Might-sensei is in the island?"_ Machibuse thought as he continued to eavesdrop.

Hakuba's phone vibrated in his pocket. Apparently Momo had arrived in I-Island and was just about to go out into the expo.

"Deku-kun! You should definitely check that pavilion!" Midoriya's guide called out as she pointed towards a massive grey and blue building.

It was as good of a meeting place as any. Hakuba messaged Momo his location and followed the duo inside.

The place was filled to the brim with high-end hero support items, from amphibian vehicles to surveillance tech and software, there was a little bit of everything in that place. Beyond that, Machibuse finally learned the guide's name: Melissa Shield. Apparently she was the daughter of some big-shot scientist that held a lot of patents used for the items in display in that pavilion.

She seemed very proud of her father.

"You go to the Academy here, right? The one for people who want to become scientists?" Midoriya asked.

"Yeah, I'm a third year… but I still got a long way to go." Melissa responded with a smile.

"I need to work a lot harder too, to become like All Might." Midoriya admitted.

"You love Uncle Might a lot, don't you? You looked so excited back then." Melissa asked cheerfully, causing poor Midoriya to begin stuttering as his fanboyism was pointed out.

" _You have absolutely no idea, Miss."_ Machibuse rolled his eyes, taking a moment to think about his own inspirations.

"You look like you are having fun, Deku-kun." Uraraka's voice came from the side, her expression absolutely unfitting of her.

"Huh!? U-Uraraka-san!? What are you doing here!?" Midoriya turned quickly as he was surprised, giving Machibuse only an instant to sidestep and remain out of sight.

"You look like you are having fun." Uraraka repeated, her face still locked in that expression… was it because Midoriya was with a girl?

"Ahem." someone else called.

"Ya-Yaoyorozu-san!" Midoriya stuttered.

"You indeed looked like you were having a lot of fun." she spoke with a small amount of color coming to her face.

"Midoriya. I overheard." Jiro added.

"You have been following them, haven't you?" Yaoyorozu turned her gaze.

"Affirmative. Why do you ask?" Machibuse responded as he now walked towards the group and finally into Midoriya's field of view.

"Ma-Machibuse-san!?" Midoriya was now panicking as he flailed his arms defensively.

"Why am I even surprised?" Momo rolled her eyes.

"Are they your friends?" Melissa asked confusedly.

"They are my classmates… looks like there has been a misunderstanding… Melissa-san is just showing me around the expo." Midoriya clarified.

"That's right! My papa and Uncle Might are…" Melissa begun speak but Midoriya immediately jumped to interrupt her.

" _Not really helping your case, Deku…"_ Machibuse mused, an eyebrow quirked as he watched the panicked male whispering something.

Melissa turned back to the group with a smile.

"How about we got to a café?"

-.

 **July 8th, I-Island, I-Expo, 1430**

Soon the group found themselves back outside, by one café nearby the artificial river that crossed the I-Expo area. The four girls sitting together under a parasol chatting while Hakuba stood behind Momo, his hands on her shoulders, idly massaging them.

Midoriya was slumped on a nearby table, muttering about how the misunderstanding had been cleared.

"Oh! You all have already worked with pro heroes?" Melissa asked in surprise.

"It was just training and going on patrol." Uraraka rose her hands dismissing the praise.

"I got caught in an accident, but all I ended up doing was evacuating people." Jiro told with some pride.

"That's still amazing!" Melissa pointed out, clearly enjoying herself.

"For some reason, I ended up being on a TV commercial…" Yaoyorozu spoke with clear disappointment in her voice.

"You can't do that normally. That's wonderful!" Melissa cheered on.

"That's what I've been telling her since April. Thanks for backing me up, Miss Shield." Machibuse nodded, a faint smile hidden behind his mask.

"Sorry if I can't help but feel beaten when you ended up on Edgeshot's agency." Momo turned to meet the male behind her with a deadpanned expression.

"While I can only praise Edgeshot, we both know how that week ended." Hakuba retorted, one eyebrow risen hinting at the irony that his voice lacked.

Melissa eyed the two curiously, she had heard of Japan's top five hero and was very much impressed to know that the boy in front of her had worked with him, but she was clearly missing something.

Noticing that Machibuse explained.

"Ever heard about a man named Akaguro Chizome? The Hero Killer: Stain?" he asked.

Melissa nodded.

"Ever been stabbed with a sword?" Machibuse asked again, his tone unchanging.

"What!? N-no!" Melissa responded wide-eyed.

"Well Miss Shield, I can't say the same… OW!" Hakuba spoke, being interrupted as Momo turned on her chair and elbowed him precisely into his scar.

"Don't scare her like that!" Momo interjected, causing the three other girls at the table to chuckle.

"You don't need to be so formal with me." Melissa offered, deciding to not press for details on the previous topic.

"That would breach my protocol." Machibuse responded flatly, his composure back as he caressed the attacked area.

"It took me two months to get him to call me by my first name on a regular basis and a third one for him to do it in public. Don't get your hopes up." Yaoyorozu sighed as the girl by her side blinked in confusion.

"Anyway, tomorrow we are planning on going to the pavilion where the Academy's exhibit is. Do you have anything in there?" Jiro asked.

"Yes, of course!" Melissa responded with enthusiasm.

"I'm so excited now!" Uraraka hyped it up.

Machibuse spotted two familiar faces approaching Midoriya.

"Here you go!" the waiter spoke as he placed a All Might themed drink on Midoriya's lonely table.

"Kaminari-kun!"

"Mineta-kun!"

"What are you doing here?" Jiro asked as she studied the two in uniform.

"They needed temporary staff for the event, so we applied to work, right?" Kaminari explained as he turned to the short teen by his side.

"We get to see the expo during breaks and get paid. Plus we can maybe have wonderful girls who are attending!" Mineta explained as he eyed the girls sitting at the table, pretending that Machibuse wasn't there. That was when he spotted Melissa and both him and Kaminari huddled around Midoriya to ask questions.

"Do they also go to U.A.?" Melissa whispered to the girls.

Mineta and Kaminari rushed in to answer by themselves, striking a pose as they began speaking dramatically.

"Yes we do."

"We are going to be heroes."

"What are you two standing around talking for!? If you are going to take the money then work as hard as you can!" Iida bellowed as he sped after the two, doppler effect distorting his voice as he approached.

"I-Iida-kun!?" Midoriya shouted in surprise.

"You are here too!?" Uraraka followed suit.

"I come from a family of heroes, so we received an invitation from I-Expo." Iida responded, his arms moving up and down mechanically.

"Tensei is here as well?" Machibuse asked, been a while since he spoke with the former Ingenium.

"My family was busy, so I was the only one to come." Iida clarified.

"Oh, you too? My family received some invites because my father holds some of I-Expo's sponsor's stock, but they are still in Europe." Yaoyorozu explained.

"Yeah, and since Yaomomo ended up with two extra invites… After an impartial game of chance we both were chosen to come with her." Jiro spoke as she rested her elbow on Uraraka's shoulder.

"Uhum, the other girls are here in the island as well." Uraraka informed.

"Really?" Midoriya asked.

"We are planning on going around together once the expo opens to the public tomorrow." Yaoyorozu added to the explanation.

"Shoji-san is around as well, he came with Tokoyami-san and Sero-san if I recall correctly." Machibuse spoke.

"Would you like me to show you around?" Melissa offered.

"Would you?" the girls asked.

"Sure!" she nodded happily.

"Take us with you too!" Mineta and Kaminari spoke simultaneously, likely after an excuse to get closer to Melissa.

"Aren't you two supposed to be working?" Machibuse asked tiredly.

"Oh come on!" Kaminari complained.

"And what about you Captain? How'd you ended up here?" Jiro asked, bluntly ignoring Kaminari.

"You see Lieutenant…"

 _*BOOM*_

A blast interrupted Machibuse, everyone was quickly rushing towards the edge of the platform they were in. On the horizon a column of smoke came from a large rock formation on the other side of the artificial river.

They rushed to see what that was about, Machibuse almost forgetting the stuff he procured for Hatsume.

Once they arrived they were greeted by the announcer stating something about eighth place. That was a game apparently.

Once the smoke cleared a familiar mess of red hair showed up on the screen.

"Kirishima-kun!?" Midoriya shouted.

"Deku-kun, is he also…" Melissa asked.

" _If he is here than that means…"_ Machibuse connected the dots.

"K-KACCHAN!?" Midoriya cried in surprise.

The announcer started Bakugo's timer and he immediately blasted off after the robotic targets, taking them down one after another in quick succession.

Fifteen seconds, a powerhouse as always.

"Oh? Isn't it Midoriya over there?" Kirishima pointed out as Bakugo calmly walked away from the stage, his head held high with his first place.

Machibuse had time only to inhale before Lord Explosion Murder rocketed towards the railing.

"WHY ARE YOU HERE!?" the blonde shouted.

"S-stop that, Kacchan… People are watching…" Midoriya backed off.

"FUCK THEM!" Bakugo responded.

"Stop that, Bakugo-kun!" Iida stepped in.

"Why is that boy angry?" Melissa asked.

"That's just how he always is…" Jiro responded.

"It's a fated battle between men!" Uraraka spoke in defense of her classmate's overbearing competitiveness.

"His behavior never really improved as time went on and I don't see it happening soon, but at least I feel that we are growing numb to it. Not that our complacency ideal by any means, I just personally feel it's not worth the effort." Machibuse added as he watched Bakugo arguing with Iida.

"I CAN HEAR YOU TALKING SHIT BACK THERE, PINPRICK!" Bakugo turned, almost bending the railing as he shifted his weight suddenly.

"Then at least try to acknowledge your situation and improve on it." Machibuse responded flatly.

"SHUT UP! I WILL FUCKING MURDER YOU!" Bakugo berated still.

"You wasted your only opportunity at that back during the Sports Festival." Machibuse sighed.

"Kirishima-san, did you both receive invitations to the expo, too?" Yaoyorozu ignored the chaos and approached the railing.

"No, Bakugo was the only one, because he won the Sports Festival and all. I just came along with him." Kirishima explained.

" _You came here with him? And I thought that my flight was bad…"_ Machibuse thought as he decided to tune Bakugo's voice out.

"You all are going to try this?" Kirishima asked as he pointed towards the robots on the artificial cliff face.

"It's no use! Pinprick can't even deal with those hunks of metal and I am definitely better than Deku!" Bakugo spoke.

"Yeah, you are right. Yeah." Midoriya tried to escape.

"But you will never know for sure if you don't try…" Uraraka chirped in.

"Yeah, you are right… wait." Midoriya unknowingly took the challenge.

"Then hurry up and get your pathetic results, you damn nerd!" Bakugo shoved Iida to the side as to scream in Midoriya's face.

"Momo, mind providing me with the ammo?" Machibuse asked as he approached.

"You are doing this? Really?" Yaoyorozu questioned, clearly surprised.

Machibuse looked back at the spectators and took a deep breath.

"He will not stop talking if I don't make him, unfortunately." Machibuse admitted unenthusiastically.

"Then don't lose and I might give you something or two." she proposed with a small smile, happy to see that Hakuba was willing to push against his fear.

Six arrows sprouted from Yaoyorozu's arm.

"Heavier than expected." Machibuse observed as her was handed the projectiles.

"They need to be. Wouldn't be armor-piercing otherwise." Yaoyorozu explained.

Machibuse just nodded in agreement.

Midoriya was up first.

" _Just what kind of results will he get?"_ the announcer asked as the challenger took his stance and energy begun to surge.

" _Villain Attack! Ready… GO!"_ the announcer signaled.

Deku immediately dashed forward, jumping from place to place in order to reach the robotic enemies as he climbed the mountain. As expected the armored targets posed little resistance against Deku's Superpower, his fist just cleaved through as if they were made of plaster.

Sixteen seconds.

That result was the worst kind: dangerously close. Bakugo was about to burst into another fit of screaming.

Regardless, Machibuse had a mission ahead of him.

"Miss Shield, mind holding this for a moment?" Machibuse asked as he walked towards the center of pathway that connected the stage to the spectators' area, shopping bag in hand.

"Sure!" Melissa responded as she took the bag from him.

"My gratitude." Machibuse nodded and made his way down.

He calmly pulled one of the cases from his front pocket and procured a brown pill. Then he proceeded to pull his mask down and flick the pallet high in the air as he stored the pill case, mindlessly catching the chemical in his mouth while opening his water bottle. That one at least didn't taste so bad.

"Good work, Midoriya-san." Machibuse offered as his classmate came in the opposite direction.

"Thanks! Good luck, Machibuse-san!" Midoriya responded as Machibuse took a swig from his unfortunately lukewarm water. Maybe it would be a good call to get a thermos.

By the time he reached the starting point he had already synthetized a drug: Adrenaline and creatine boosters that he could naturally produce mixed with a dose of caffeine from the pill he had just swallowed. He brought his hand to the side of his neck and injected himself using only the very tip of his Chelicerae. He wasn't in a rush, so he could care for not hurting himself with his own Quirk.

He could feel his muscles bulging slightly as the chemicals raced across his bloodstream. His pupils were likely widening to the maximum they could. About forty-five seconds of booster and he would begin to synthesize an antidote as soon as the initial sensation was over.

The White Rider picked up his bow.

"What was that you gave him, Yaomomo?" Jiro asked as she leaned in the railing.

"It's a diamond tip on a depleted uranium core, should go clear through an inch of ballistic glass with the amount of force on that bow. He wanted to add that in before the finals because we thought it was going to be a fight against robots. Hatsume made the blueprint but wasn't allowed to manufacture it since it is a lethal projectile." Yaoyorozu explained.

"You know how to make his arrows?" Uraraka asked.

"We came up with the idea after our battle against Midoriya-san and Iida-san and he gave me copies of all the blueprints, though we decided to keep this little trick hidden. Hakuba says that Hatsume will try to turn me into a 3D printer otherwise…" Yaoyorozu sighed.

No one could disagree with that logic as they turned their attention to the stage.

" _In position! Villain Attack… GO!"_ the announcer quickly lowered her hand.

In an instant the White Rider had begun running, his eyes tracking the six targets scattered across the battlefield as he mapped his ideal route.

Sparks flew as the first two robots were taken down in quick succession, the armor-piercing arrowheads sticking out from the back of their heads as the archer's precisely aimed for the less protected parts of their structure: the red painted glass that covered their sensors.

His chemically augmented muscles made the White Rider dart up as his Chelicerae dug into the rock.

Another arrow crossed the air.

Another robot fell.

He continued to run up the wall.

A quick jump took him from the main structure to a small peak that jutted to the side.

Two arrows were loaded as he flipped through the air, released immediately as he landed.

One target left.

The White Rider was stopped, taking aim at the mountaintop, his bow drawn to the maximum.

The last enemy barely peeked over and all that took was an instant for it to be taken down.

The White Rider clasped his weapon to his belt after folding it, calmly making his way down the mountain as he injected himself once more, this time with a substance to cut down the effects of his previous drug, the longer that thing remained in his system the more exhausted he would be afterwards.

He gave his classmates a shy wave.

Bakugo was fuming.

Machibuse had beaten him by one second and was now the first place.

That however would possibly be a short-lived victory as he noticed Todoroki in the distance. So for now he would enjoy it.

Bakugo's screaming prompted him to start concocting another payload, one Machibuse had wanted to try out for months now.

"THIS PROVES NOTHING PINPRICK! JUST YOU WAIT AND I WILL COMPLETELY DESTROY YOU! TEN SECONDS! ALL THE ROBOTS IN TEN SECONDS!" Bakugo came howling, his hands grabbing Machibuse by the collar of his cloak.

"I'm sure you will, Bakugo-san." Machibuse dismissed, irony neatly laced into his voice and expression as he placed his hand on Bakugo's shoulder in a friendly manner.

That just got Bakugo angrier, but his response was interrupted by the massive glacier rising in the stage.

" _Wow! Fourteen seconds! We have two people tied in first place!"_ the announcer called.

"Todoroki-kun!" Midoriya spoke.

"Is he in your class as well?" Melissa asked in surprise.

"Yes." Yaoyorozu responded.

"You are all so amazing! As expected from future heroes." Melissa praised.

Machibuse approached the group as Bakugo rocketed towards Todoroki.

"We might want to head somewhere else." Machibuse suggested as he stopped besides Momo.

She quirked an eyebrow and glanced at Bakugo, spotting four faint red dots lined on his shoulder where Hakuba had touched.

"What did you just do?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"His Quirk is chemical-based, so I can suppress it with the right payload. The blast he used to get down there likely is going to be the last for a while." Machibuse responded calmly as Melissa handed him his bag.

"You know you are an asshole, right Captain?" Jiro tried not to laugh.

"Affirmative Lieutenant." Machibuse agreed as they turned to watch the other three boys rushing to stop Bakugo from rampaging as Todoroki's uninterested attitude caused him to lash out as he decided to cut in the line and be the next to have a go at the robots. Two people had bested him, and Bakugo wasn't having none of that.

Melissa could only laugh as she watched Iida, Midoriya and Kirishima trying to wrestle Bakugo away from the cameras.

"Sorry…" she offered as she noticed how the girls were ashamed of their classmate. "I was just thinking that it should be fun at U.A." Melissa explained.

"Well, it's never boring at least…" Yaoyorozu responded weakly.

Bakugo broke free.

He readied a blast to create some distance.

A faint pop came from his palms as he jumped and landed stumbling on his feet.

"You might want to wait a few hours before trying your ten-second run, Bakugo-san. Side effects might include shivering and dry mouth and throat. Your body thinks you are dehydrated and freezing, so you won't be sweating for about two hours." Machibuse called, a shit-eating grin hidden under his mask.

"WHAT!? I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU FOR THIS, PINPRICK!" Bakugo was losing it as he tried to use his Quirk, but only getting a party popper's worth of a boom at most. He could fell his shoulders trembling lightly as if someone just doused him in ice water.

"As I said before you lost that chance at the Sports Festival. At least now you know why." Machibuse responded to the threat and motioned for the girls to leave with him. His silver bullet had worked wonderfully, and he knew that Bakugo was anal enough to wait the two hours just so he could get his first place back.

Uraraka called the boys back, although only Midoriya and Iida decided to come.

"Two hours? I thought that you chemicals only lasted for an hour at most." Momo whispered with a quizzed look.

"He will be like that for just about twenty more minutes. But he doesn't need to know that."

-.

 **July 8th, I-Island, I-Expo, 1720**

Afternoon had been pleasing enough, the seven of them mostly spent their time going from one attraction to another as they followed the sounds and lights that came from musical performances and other shows that created amazing displays of the technology present at the I-Expo, with a brief pause so Melissa could stop to pick up the extra invites she had.

Biggest situation that arose was when Jiro overheard both Machibuse and Yaoyorozu whispering about a photo booth, undecisive about whether or not they should do it, and simply proceeded to shove them both inside with Uraraka's reluctant help.

The first picture was just a mess as they tried to get out, the second was just about the single most awkward picture ever taken and the third was when they accepted their fate as Hakuba took his mask off with one hand and pulled the hood down with the other.

The fourth and last picture of the strip however was something that they both would come to treasure. Just the two of them huddled together happily with I-Expo's skyline panned behind them, Momo with her back pressed against one side of Hakuba's chest, one his arms around her waist as she leaned her cheek on his.

Momo looked at the picture strip one last time before storing it safely inside the hard cover lexicon that rested on her belt. The group had stopped for a moment, so people could get something to drink, a few of the shops were already closing for the day so it was likely their last chance to do so. By now it was her, Hakuba, Jiro, Melissa and Iida waiting outside the store.

"Machibuse-san?" Melissa called.

He promptly turned to meet her.

"I've been wondering about that bag of yours… it's pretty unusual to see a hero shopping for tech this specific." Melissa pondered as she eyed the logo stamped on the plastic bag he had carried all day.

"This? Honestly I am not even sure of what some of these are. I have a friend in U.A.'s Support Course, she's the one behind most of my gear… she asked me to procure these items for her." Machibuse explained as studied the bag.

"So you are doing Hatsume's shopping?" Jiro concluded, taking a peak inside the store to see how long Midoriya and Uraraka would take. The two got unlucky and ended up behind a large group of children in line.

"I still can't believe that you work with her." Iida admitted bitterly.

"I am aware that she is…" Machibuse began but failed to find an adjective.

"Shameless?"

"Crazy?"

"Opportunistic?"

"…I was going to say "too enthusiastic", but I will not deny any of those claims. Hatsume-san is not nearly as bad of a person as you make her to be, Iida-san, and her work is simply remarkable. You have already been on the receiving end of one of these, so you have to agree with me." Machibuse defended as he pointed a finger towards the explosive arrowhead affixed to his arm.

"I much prefer that we don't speak about that." Iida faked a cough.

"And she told me once that she finds it "cute" that you move like a robot." Machibuse added, his never changing tone making it impossible for his friends to tell whether he was being serious or not.

Iida just had his mouth open, he was about to say something while moving his arm, but now he was simply too self-conscious to move in a way that was natural to him. The most amazing reaction they had ever seen from the class president to date, the girls were doing a poor job a hiding their amusement.

Just as he was about to regain his composure Midoriya and Uraraka made it out from the store.

"Did something happen?" Midoriya asked confusedly.

"Mi-Midoriya-kun! Nothing happened! L-Let's get going!" Iida responded as he walked onwards, doing his best to move like a normal person for once.

By the time they reached their destination Iida had already slipped back in his mechanical stride. The group had returned to the café where Kaminari and Mineta were working, only to find the two sitting against the closed doors complaining about work.

"You both worked hard today, right?" Iida spoke as he approached.

"Here."

"What is this?" Mineta asked as he and Kaminari took in their hands the pieces of paper Iida offered them.

"Invitations to the reception party." Yaoyorozu responded.

"P-party…?" Kaminani stuttered.

"F-for us…?" Mineta was also in shock.

"Melissa got them for you." Jiro explained.

"She thought you should at least have some fun today." Uraraka added happily.

"I had extra, so please use them if you'd like." Melissa said with a smile causing both Mineta and Kaminari to break into tears of happiness.

A soon as the two were done Iida cleared his throat loudly.

"From what I know, there will be quite a few heroes attending to the party as well. In order to keep from embarrassing U.A.'s name, change into your best clothes and let us attend the party as a group! We will meet at Lobby Seven at six thirty PM! I will contact Todoroki and Bakugo." the class president spoke before dismissing everyone's attention and speeding away towards his hotel.

Hakuba sighed.

Fun was over.

-.

 **July 8th, I-Island, Pinnacle Hotel & Resort, Lobby, 1740.**

"There is sure a lot of security down here…" Uraraka observed as the four of them waited for the elevator.

"From what I was told by my mother the penthouse was reserved by a government official, that's why we are on a regular room." Yaoyorozu explained, mildly inconvenienced.

"Regular room? Ours is about the size of a tennis court…" Jiro muttered, forgetting for a moment how widely different Momo's definition of "regular" was from hers.

Hakuba just watched in silence as they entered the elevator, he wasn't really surprised to see that Momo had ended up in the same fancy hotel as he did.

Soon enough he was back inside his very much regular room.

He stored Hatsume's stuff in his bag and got out of his costume.

Hakuba took a quick bath and slipped into his dark green army service uniform for the first time since he left Okinawa, the six medals perched on his chest drew the most attention out of everything in the attire. Hair was good enough as it was, but unfortunately he would need to put on a tie.

As he knotted the damn thing he could only imagine if either he or Iida would need to adjust Midoriya's tie for him.

Hakuba took a deep breath and left.

His nemesis awaited.

-.

 **July 8th, I-Island, Central Tower, Lobby Seven, 1840.**

"I apologize, but Jiro-san…"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Kaminari and Mineta cheered as Yaoyorozu and Jiro walked in formally dressed.

"I'm… not used to clothes like this…" Jiro admitted nervously.

"Clothes make the man, right?" Kaminari gave a thumbs up.

"She looks like a female assassin…" Mineta told no one in specific.

Immediately their comments were rewarded with a healthy dose of pain from Jiro's Earphone Jacks.

"Hakuba is late? Did something happen?" Yaoyorozu asked as she failed to find him in the small lobby they were in.

"Machibuse-kun was the first one to arrive, he just left after receiving a call. You must have missed him." Iida answered.

"A call?" Yaoyorozu quirked an eyebrow.

"Yes, from Okinawa apparently… he didn't seem very happy when he left…" Midoriya explained, a little confused.

Yaoyorozu and Jiro looked at each other, that sounded very much like when he talked with…

Everyone in the lobby could hear a heated argument in Okinawan-sounding gibberish coming from the other side of the doors that led to their current location.

Two people, one of them obviously was Machibuse.

The doors opened.

"I apologize for the delay, apparently the hag can't walk more than a minute without anyone in the immediate vicinity for her to boss around. It is an integral part of her respiratory cycle as far as I understand." Machibuse spoke as he entered the lobby. The amount of poison in his voice was many times more dangerous than anything he'd ever concocted with his Quirk.

Behind him walked a crooked old woman about as tall as Midoriya, around her mid-seventies, her hair color and complexion identical to Hakuba's, her hair tied up in a neatly shaped bun. She was dressed in a dark green surplice dotted with dozens of military accolades of various sizes and walked leaning on an ivory cane with many highly detailed bees and flowers engraved into the shaft.

Her wrinkled face the very definition of bitterness as she looked at Machibuse.

"This is the devil I speak about occasionally, it's safer to just stay away... You have no idea how painful it was to be stuck on a plane with her." he introduced, pointing at his grandmother with his thumb.

Her expression barely moved as she struck the side of Hakuba's knee with her cane with much more force than anyone in that room expected, causing him to twist in pain and clutch the wounded area.

"Who gave you permission to breach protocol!? Get up, Fura! Introduce me properly!" she bellowed, her voice carrying an absurd amount of authority.

" _So this is why he is like this."_ every other teenager in the room thought in unison as they watched the scene unfold.

Machibuse took a deep breath and adjusted his posture, glaring daggers at the woman at every moment.

"Please allow me to introduce you all to my grandmother, former Minister of Defense and current head of Okinawa's Military Academy, Machibuse Hakame." the younger Machibuse introduced his elder as his façade twitched and his voice barely kept clean of anger.

Everyone in the room as dead silent for a second, tension was palpable as everyone nervously bowed.

"Acceptable. Start with that next time and save me the embarrassment… You all have my gratitude for keeping an eye on this waste of space while he is away from home." Machibuse Hakame addressed her grandson before speaking to everyone else in the lobby.

The room was mute once more.

"You kids are to respond with "Yes, ma'am!"" the elder Machibuse bellowed.

"YES, MA'AM!" everyone instinctively had their backs stiff as they shouted the response.

"Good. Let's not repeat this mistake." she gave a small nod before starting to make her way towards the door on the other side of the lobby.

The elder Machibuse stopped midway and slowly turned towards Yaoyorozu.

"You. I've seen you before… Fura appeared in a photo posted by a couple of U.A. fans back in the third week of March. You were the one sitting alongside him in the restaurant." she spoke, approaching while looking Momo from head to toe.

"Y-yes, ma'am!" Momo responded uncomfortably.

"Don't stutter. Your name?" Hakame demanded.

"Yaoyorozu Momo."

"Hmm. Good to see that Fura at least inherited his grandfather's good eye for women." Hakame spoke before resuming her walk.

Momo immediately turned to face Hakuba, both of them had the most confused expressions possible.

The entrance door opened once more.

"You are all still here? The party is getting started!" Melissa came in with an excited spring in her step, blissfully unaware about what just trespassed in that room.

Tension just died had died down a little…

Then the alarm sounded.

 _THIS IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE I-ISLAND SECURITY SYSTEM. WE HAVE RECEIVED REPORTS THAT AN EXPLOSIVE DEVICE WAS PLACED IN THE I-EXPO AREA. I-ISLAND WILL NOW BE IN HIGH ALERT MODE… RESIDENTS AND TOURISTS PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR LODGINGS WITH HASTE AS ANYONE STILL OUTSIDE TEN MINUTES FROM NOW ON MAY BE ARRESTED WITHOUT WARNING. PLEASE REFRARIN FROM GOING OUTSIDE._

This was bad and slowly getting worse as metal sheets blocked the windows.

 _IN ADDITION TO THAT MOST OF THE MAIN OPERATIONAL BUILDINGS WILL BE SEALED OFF FOR SECURITY REASONS._

They were trapped.

Something was terribly wrong.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Nothing like some fresh OC right out of the oven. Guess that clears some doubts and rises a couple of others. Grandma there was the main reason I wanted to cover the movie; she is kinda of a big boss figure, and introducing her at a time like this opens up a lot of possibilities later on.**_

 _ **Hakame means "White Rain". As you can see there is a pattern showing up when it comes to the names in the Machibuse family.**_

 _ **And no, she is not fun to be around.  
**_

 _ **NINJA EDIT: Check the deviantart page, we got grandma's art now!**_


	28. Movie: Two Heroes II

_**Damn son, 200 follows!**_

 _ **This chapter will be the second part of the Two Heroes movie, so if you haven't watched it yet it might be a good call to do so and then come back here!**_

-.

 **July 8th, I-Island, Central Tower, Lobby Seven, 1855.**

 _I REPEAT: I-ISLAND WILL NOW BE IN HIGH ALERT MODE. MAIN OPERATIONAL BUILDINGS WILL BE SEALED OFF FOR SECURITY REASONS._

Trapped.

"So this means we are locked here?" Kaminari was the first to speak after the alarm.

"My phone has no signal. Looks like even that has been blocked." Todoroki informed

"S-seriously?" Mineta stuttered.

"The elevator isn't responding either." Jiro spoke as she pushed buttons in the panel and received no feedback.

"S-seriously!?" Mineta stuttered again, more panicked this time.

"I can't believe that the system would switch to high alert mode just because they found something explosive…" Melissa told herself doubtfully.

Machibuse Hakame knocked on the barred door with her cane.

"You. I take you are a resident of I-Island. How often does a lockdown like this happens?" the elder asked while turning to Melissa.

"There are simulations about once every ten months, but we are nowhere near that time of the year yet." The girl responded.

"Then we are either dealing with a high yield explosive or we can assume that the alarm was hijacked. Both possibilities are equally troublesome… Fura! Get working on finding a way out!" Hakame concluded before bellowing at her grandson another time.

The younger Machibuse pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Midoriya-san, you came to this Island with All Might-sensei, correct? Is he at the party?" he asked.

"...Yes, let's go to where the party is being held. All Might is there." Midoriya took a moment to respond, he had forgotten that Machibuse had stalked him and Melissa earlier today.

"Is he really?" Uraraka asked hopefully.

"Oh, then we have nothing to worry about…" Mineta relaxed as he dismissed the issue.

"Melissa-san, can you get us to the party somehow?" Midoriya asked.

"If we use the emergency stairs then we should be able to get to the party." Melissa responded.

"Please lead the way then." Midoriya motioned.

" _What are you scheming about now?"_ Hakuba turned to his grandmother in Okinawan as the group began to move, he knew very well that her expression meant something bad was to come.

" _If All Might is in there then something must be keeping him unable to act. Get ready for a possible hostage scenario."_ Hakame suggested calmly.

Hakuba just kept quiet as he followed behind her.

The small changes in both Machibuses' expressions didn't escape Momo's eye. Apparently the apple didn't fell far from the tree and they both had the same façade.

"What was that about?" Momo asked in a hushed voice as she approached Hakuba, her fingers entwining into his worriedly.

"The old witch apparently has the situation figured out already, and I have yet to see her wrong for the second time. We are likely handling with hostages." Hakuba whispered back.

Momo tensed slightly, remembering her last hostage scenario all the way back during the USJ incident.

"Momo…" Hakuba called her.

She pushed the thought about the USJ away and turned to look at him.

"…" Hakuba didn't spoke, he seemed nervous.

"What is it?" Momo asked.

"It's just… you look really good, you know… I mean, you always do but…" Hakuba spoke as he turned to look away, his hand squeezing hers tenderly as color rushed to his face.

Momo blinked in confusion, processing what she just heard.

"I apologize for breaking protocol."

"Not now, idiot!"

-.

 **July 8th, I-Island, Central Tower, 3rd Floor, Emergency Staircase, 2040.**

Tension filled their location.

"We have received All Might's message. I suggest we follow our teacher's directions and escape from this place." Iida spoke as to break the silence that took hold of their hiding spot ever since Midoriya and Jiro returned with the news.

"I agree with Iida-san… We are still only students, we cannot fight villains without a hero license." Yaoyorozu reasoned.

At that the younger Machibuse turned to his elder. With a gesture from her hand she told him to wait.

"Then what if we escaped and told the heroes outside…" Kaminari suggested hopefully.

"This place will be hard to escape from. The Central Tower was built with the same level of security as the Tartarus, the prison where villain criminals are kept." Melissa informed with clear worries about the prospect of escaping.

" _Tartarus huh…"_ Hakuba mused as he remembered the number of gates and checkpoints guarded at gunpoint he had to go through when he visited Chizome.

"Then all we can do is wait for help…" Kaminari's tone did a one-eighty as his hopes were doused.

"Kaminari… are you okay with that?" Jiro got up to her feet.

"What do you mean?" Kaminari questioned.

"Don't you feel like you should go and help?" Jiro responded with a question of her own.

"Hey hey… those villains caught All Might! There is no way we can go save them ourselves!" Mineta answered in panic.

"We are trying to be heroes…" Todoroki spoke, clearly unsure about just sitting the problem out.

"Yes, but we are not allowed to work as heroes…" Yaoyorozu reaffirmed her previous statement.

"Does that mean it's fine for us to not do anything?" Todoroki asked.

Once more the Hakuba turned his attention to his still surprisingly silent grandmother. Normally not having her speaking would be a blessing, but this situation was far from normal.

No one spoke for a good while.

There was a lot to weight on.

"I want to save them." Midoriya spoke finally.

"Deku-kun?" Uraraka asked.

"I want to save them!" Midoriya repeated.

"Are you planning on fighting the villains!? Didn't you learn anything from the USJ, Midoriya!?" Mineta asked clearly afraid from the answer.

"It's not like that, Mineta-kun. I've been thinking about it, all we need is a way to save All Might and the others without fighting the villains." Midoriya explained.

"I understand what you mean, but is there anything that convenient…?" Kaminari asked doubtfully.

"Even if its hard, there has to be a way! I want to go look for the best possible way and then save everyone!" Midoriya responded.

Silence followed his speech for a moment, now those who were considering acting felt on edge to follow Midoriya's plan.

"I-Island's security system is on the top floor of this tower. If the villains have taken control of the system then the authentication locks and passwords should've been disabled… We should be able to restart the system if we can get to the top, we just need a way to do it while remaining hidden from the villain's eyes. If we do that we can save everyone!" Melissa spoke, mild eagerness on her voice as she explained the plan.

"What do you mean by "remaining hidden from the villain's eyes"?" Jiro turned to the blonde.

"Currently none of us have been harmed. I think the villain's aren't used to operating the security system yet." Melissa added with certainty.

"Avoid fighting and return the system back to normal, huh?" Todoroki pondered.

"We could do it, don't you think?" Kaminari was now back to high spirits.

"Yeah!" Jiro nodded.

"Won't the villains be waiting on the top floor?" Yaoyorozu pointed out, still reluctant to act.

"There is no need to fight! If we can release the All Might and the hostages then the tables will be turned in an instant!' Midoriya concluded.

"Deku-kun! Let's do it!" Uraraka shot to her feet.

"Uraraka-san!" Midoriya was surprised by the support.

"I don't want to sit around doing nothing now that I know that there is something we can do! I think that's something more important than whether we are licensed heroes or not!" Uraraka continued.

"Yeah, let's help the people who need help!" Midoriya got up in excitement.

"Midoriya. I will go too." Todoroki stepped forward.

"Me too!" Jiro followed suit.

"I will turn us back if I decide we cannot do anymore. If you are okay with that, then I will go too!" Iida spoke as well.

"If that's the case then I will be going as well!" Yaoyorozu agreed.

"I should be able to get in without being noticed, luring the villains away from the controls should be easy enough. I will need your help for that however." the younger Machibuse offered, his hand grasping Yaoyorozu's reassuringly.

"All right! I'm in!" Kaminari quickly got to his feet.

Eyes turned to Mineta, the last one remaining to join into the plan.

"All right, I get it! I just have to go, right!?" Mineta cried out, finally accepting his fate.

All the U.A. students had accepted the task ahead.

They had a clear objective: Climb the tower and assume control of the security system.

Spirits were high.

"Melissa-san, please wait here." Midoriya approached, it was a sound decision to leave her in a safe location given that she likely had no combat training.

"I will go too!" Melissa protested.

"But… you don't have a Quirk…" Midoriya spoke.

"Do you have anyone who knows how to operate the security system? I am a student at the academy here in I-Island, I think I can be useful then." Melissa argued.

"But…" Midoriya was still unsure.

"I may get in the way while we go up the tower, but please let me help protect everyone, too." Melissa pleaded.

"Miss Shield's capabilities are integral to the mission; our success hinges on getting her to the security controls safely. I can also take for granted that she is the only one here that knows this tower's layout." the younger Machibuse approached the duo, placing one hand on Melissa's shoulder.

A smile came to her lips as she nodded.

"All right. Let's go save everyone!" Midoriya spoke after a moment to think.

"Right!" they all agreed and begun moving, only to find Machibuse Hakame standing in their path.

"My little in-law over here is right, you are not allowed to use your powers without a license." the elder spoke firmly.

"In-law?" Momo asked herself confusedly as she turned to Hakuba, who asked something in Okinawan to his grandmother after a long, annoyed sigh.

"You stay quiet, Fura. This is something your friends must learn." she responded dismissively.

"What do you mean, ma'am? We already have a plan…" Midoriya questioned meekly.

"How very naïve of you! What if the plan goes wrong and you get found out before reaching the top floor? Rush headfirst against armed enemies without using your Quirks? People die when those in charge fail to account for their strategies not playing out as intended!" Hakame bellowed, knocking her cane against the floor to add emphasis to her speech.

Silence filled the stairway; all the teens were now conflicted. All but the younger Machibuse, who just pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I was interested in seeing what you kids could come up with... As long as you don't kill anybody or return too heavily injured I can give you clearance to fight without repercussions. Now that we are clear on that, let's move." the elder spoke, calmly turning her back towards the group and making her way towards the stairs.

The group was quiet for a moment. Hakuba could only roll his eyes, he knew she would grant them permission to fight in the end, but unfortunately his grandmother had a flair for the dramatic…

Hakame cleared her throat loudly.

"YES, MA'AM!"

-.

 **July 8th, I-Island, Central Tower, 30th Floor, Emergency Staircase, 2125.**

This was getting irritating by now, they had been going up that damned stairway for over half an hour already. The worst part was that they weren't even close.

"Melissa-san, what is the top floor?" Midoriya asked as he stopped in front of the large number painted on the wall.

"200th." Melissa responded in between hard breaths.

"Seriously!?" both Mineta and Kaminari cried out dread by the incoming exercise.

"It is better than running into the villains." Yaoyorozu tried to offer everyone some comfort.

Leading the group by about half a floor were both members of the Machibuse family: Neither breaking a sweat or slowing down. Apparently having a ridiculous amount of stamina was something that was passed down the generations and Hakame's old age didn't seem to matter to her.

It was almost like that neither of them was willing to accept falling behind to the other.

Forty floors.

sixty floors.

Eighty floors.

They stopped.

Over an hour of running up that stairway only led them to a steel blockade.

Both just stood there in silence as they waited the rest of the group.

Iida, Todoroki and Midoriya were the first ones to arrive.

"We might have a problem." the younger Machibuse spoke as he gestured towards the metallic shutter.

"What do we do? Break it?" Todoroki panted the question as everyone else arrived.

"If we do that then the security system will react and the villains will notice us." Melissa explained as the group took the opportunity to catch their breath.

"Then can't we just go from here?" Mineta asked painfully, the endurance exercise they just gone through likely had broken him.

He reached for the handle on the door to the eightieth floor.

"Mineta-kun!" Midoriya tried to stop his classmate.

"No!" Melissa cried out in vain.

 _*beep*_

The door opened. The villains were alerted.

"I am honestly surprised that you haven't ended this one, Fura." the elder Machibuse sighed as she watched the door opening. The Chelicerae on her grandson's hands armed to strike already.

"It's not as if the idiot doesn't try every once in a while." Momo informed as she eyed Hakuba making his way towards the door to investigate the corridor, causing Mineta to scurry away.

"That is the second time you called my grandson "idiot" tonight." Hakame pointed out, stopping besides the taller girl as people exited the emergency staircase one by one.

"S-Sorry, Ma'am!" Momo tensed for a moment.

"Oh dear! Don't apologize for this! I think that you and I are going to get along just fine!" Hakame's expression softened for the first time as she made her way towards the corridor.

"The pet name I gave him is Okinawan for "Idiot"." she informed, both Hakame and Momo stifled a laugh after that.

Hakuba instinctively stopped in the corridor to scan his surroundings.

"Something wrong?" Kaminari asked as he almost bumped into Machibuse due to his sudden halt.

"Something _feels_ wrong, I am not sure what it is, however I feel like I am in danger…" he responded, still in high alert.

The group began running as soon as Jiro confirmed the way was clear. They had spotted a camera not to long ago, and clearly had been spotted by it in return. They needed to make it to the 200th with haste now.

"Is there another way up, Melissa-san?" Iida asked, taking the lead of the group.

"There is a second emergency stairway similar to the one we were in on the opposite side of the building." Melissa informed as the group now moved as a single unit. For better or worse, not having to go up the stairs gave them a good break to recover.

A loud metallic sound filled the corridor.

There were shutters on the corridor as well.

The villains were trying to box them in.

"Todoroki-kun!" Iida called as he spotted an escape.

"Right!" Todoroki responded, a wave of ice rising from his foot quickly jammed the shutters in front of them open, allowing Iida to jump in and bust the doors with a kick.

"Let's cross inside here!" Iida gave the order as he stood in front of the shattered doorway.

The air coming from inside that room felt a lot different, as soon as the smoke cleared it was made easy to see why.

"What is this place?" Midoriya asked as the group was greeted by a vegetation filled space unfitting of the general metal and glass that surrounded them up until this point.

"It's a plant factory, the scientist study how Quirks affect plant life in here…" Melissa explained.

"Wait! Look at that!" Jiro interrupted.

The numbers on the elevator display were quickly rising.

"Midoriya-san! Give me a boost then hide! Aim for above that door!" Machibuse called out, throwing his shoes somewhere in the foliage and jumping in front of his classmate.

"Right!" Midoriya responded as his body surged with energy, his hands joining together as he gave out a volleyball bump from underneath Machibuse's feet.

"Colorado Smash!" Midoriya shouted as he blasted his arms upwards, sending Machibuse soaring towards the elevator.

It was the first time Machibuse had to roll on his shoulder from a horizontal impact, but weirdness aside, the Chelicerae on his hands and feet gripped against the concrete and he was in position to strike.

His position also allowed him to see a familiar duo in the distance: Kirishima and Bakugo.

" _The fuck are you two doing up here?"_ Machibuse asked in his mind.

 _*ding*_

The elevator had arrived, three figures soon came out of it, their descriptions matching the one Midoriya gave about the villains that had occupied the party.

"They said the kids were in here." the short one with a buzzcut spoke.

"They came into an annoying place." the tallest one complained.

"Stop complaining, you can just fill the place with holes. Who cares if you hit one of them by accident?" the third one spoke as he loaded his rifle.

" _You really had to be here to make my life harder…"_ Machibuse sighed as his lost classmates stepped into the villains line of sight.

"Found you, damn kids!" the tallest villain shouted.

"Huh? What did you say, you bastard?" Bakugo spat back.

"What are you two doing here?" the short one apparently was the more civilized.

"That's what _I_ want to know…" Bakugo took a step forward, but Kirishima was quick to step in.

"Leave this to me, okay!?" the redhead suggested with a sheepishly laugh.

Bakugo's brow furrowed as he spotted Machibuse dropping from his hiding spot, a finger in front of his lips asking for silence as he walked towards the villains without making a sound.

The villains had not noticed him yet. Speed was of utmost importance as Bakugo and Kirishima likely were unaware of the danger.

"Um, we got lost… where should we go for the reception?" Kirishima asked as he approached.

In one movement Machibuse wrapped his arm around the rifleman's neck and twisted his torso into a painful chokehold, the Chelicerae inside his elbow just breaking through the target's skin, a good dose of sleep hormones being injected.

" _Payload delivered."_

Kirishima was very confused by that, but the enemies hadn't noticed yet.

Not that it mattered, Todoroki had to intercept as one of the villains attacked Kirishima immediately.

Machibuse quickly dropped his unconscious target on the floor and rushed towards the group. That one was going to be out for a while.

"We will stall for time here! Look for a way up!" Todoroki shouted as he quickly created an ice pillar underneath the rest of the group.

"What about you?" Iida asked with concern.

"I'm fine, just go!" Todoroki responded.

"I will leave those two under your care then!" Machibuse called out, one of his hands grabbing on to the ice so he would be carried along. Vague as usual, it was left unclear whether he meant for Todoroki to deal with the two villains remaining or to make sure that Kirishima and, more importantly, Bakugo didn't get too carried away.

"We will be right behind you after we clean this up!" Todoroki responded.

The sounds of battle filled the room as the group reached a bridge and stepped out of the pillar, they likely had made it five or six floors up.

Iida quickly busted the door.

"This is no good too!?" he asked. Both sides of the corridor were barred by steel shutters.

"Trapped like mice!" Mineta cried.

"Is this as far as we can go?" Kaminari was distressed.

"Melissa-san! Over there on the ceiling! What is that!?" Midoriya pointed out towards a small hatch.

"It's an access for the maintenance room for the sunlight system!" Melissa explained.

"Wouldn't that have an emergency ladder?" Iida leaned against the railing with hope.

"There is a manual one, but we can only reach it from the inside." Melissa informed, unhappy to be the bearer of bad news.

"Even though we got this far!" Uraraka complained.

"There is still a possibility." Yaoyorozu informed as she created an unknow device from her chest.

Hakame watched with great curiosity as the girl threw that object against the hatch.

 _*BOOM*_

"There should be a vent that leads to the outside in there." Yaoyorozu proposed.

"On it." the younger Machibuse quickly stepped back to get a running start before jumping towards the wall and running it up. With a leap he reached inside the hole and pulled himself up.

"Hakuba can climb the outside wall and reach the floor above us from there." Yaoyorozu explained her plan.

"I've found the vent, but there is a problem: I am too big to go through it." Hakuba informed, his head sticking upside down from the hole he was in.

His eyes immediately veered towards Mineta.

"Mineta-san however can do it with ease." He informed.

"Wait! Wait! What floor do you think we are on!?" Mineta flailed his arms with tears in his eyes.

"Eighty-six." Hakuba responded flatly.

"Please, Mineta-kun!" Uraraka pleaded

"You are the only one who can do it!" Jiro also pushed.

Hakame calmly approached Momo as they watched Kaminari whispering something into Mineta's ear to convince him.

"Tell me about what you just did." she demanded.

"A simple explosive attached to a magnetic plate, ma'am." Yaoyorozu responded, tensing once more as she felt the commanding presence by her side.

"So you can create explosives with your Quirk?" the elder continued her questioning.

"I can create all kinds of objects by breaking down fat cells in my body down to molecular level." Yaoyorozu explained as a matryoshka sprouted form the palm of her hand before she handed it to the woman by her side.

Hakame studied the object with care before storing it into her purse.

Their little chat was interrupted as Hakuba returned to the bridge they were in an approached the still reluctant Mineta.

"Hold on tight, I will take you to the vent so you can preserve yourself." he kneeled, waiting for the diminutive teen to hop on to his back.

"Y-you are not going to shank me with those things, right?" Mineta asked as he approached with care, Mineta was well aware that his classmate had weapons ready to spring alongside his spine.

"I promise to try my very best. Just try not to talk much during the ride."

-.

 **July 9th, I-Island, Central Tower, 104th Floor, 0110.**

"Doesn't seem we got lucky? All the shutters have been raised since we reached the 100th floor." Kaminari observed as the group continued running. The road from the 87th to the 100th had been very slow, but Kaminari was right.

"Could it be that they have lost us?" Uraraka raised the possibility.

"That's not it." Jiro spoke.

"They are leading us somewhere, aren't they?" Yaoyorozu raised her concerns.

"Yeah, I think so." Iida agreed.

"Even so, to get a little further up…" Midoriya pushed forth.

"Intel! What facilities are ahead of us?" the elder Machibuse asked their guide.

"Floors 105 to 110 are mostly taken by an automated storage facility, there are service lifts there we can take to reach the 111th floor!" Melissa informed, a little surprised by the name she was attributed.

"They intend on ambushing us there. You! Recon! Get to work!" Hakame ordered as she pointed her cane towards Jiro.

"Y-yes, ma'am!" she stuttered in surprise, stopping for a moment as her earlobes extended towards the ceiling.

"There are people walking up there, at least nine on the floor right above us and four more on catwalks above them…" Jiro informed.

"Fura, you stay with me, the others rush towards the lift on my mark." Hakame began ordering as they reached the stairs towards the 105th floor.

"You are really going to use it?" Hakuba spoke with visible concern in his voice.

"Only because she is here. In-law, I will need you to make something before we begin!" the elder responded as she called Yaoyorozu closer.

By the time they reached the door to the floor above Yaoyorozu had outfitted everyone but the Machibuses with the gear she was asked to create.

"Why do we need these, Captain?" Jiro asked as she adjusted the straps.

"As far as I know everyone born into the Machibuse family had or has a chemical-based Quirk since birth, my father could replicate and modify any drug with his saliva, and I inherited a similar capability from him, albeit my delivery method is more aggressive… the hag's Quirk however isn't nearly as precise, so she rarely uses it." the younger Machibuse began the explanation as the group watched the elder calmly fitting a cigarette on a fancy brass holder as she walked towards the door to the storage facility.

She lit the yellowish paper and took a hefty amount of smoke in, almost the entire cigarette in one go.

Two sacs along her mandibular joint puffed up to the size of watermelons.

"Her Quirk has no thing such as fine tuning with components. Instead she can replicate any form of gas or vapor she inhales by and absurd amount. She is a walking W.M.D. essentially, to the point the U.N. had to add another paragraph to the Geneva Protocol because of her about fifty years ago."

All the teens immediately tightened the straps of the gas masks they were provided to the maximum they could as they watched Hakame exhaling a ludicrous amount of thick white smoke inside the storage room.

"Allow me to introduce you to the Witch of Okinawa and her Miasma." Hakuba finished the explanation as he rushed in, using the smoke to cover his movements and the coughing it caused to the unfortunate victims as a way of finding them.

Gunfire filled the room.

Hakame signaled everyone to rush in and continued to breathe toxic smoke.

They immediately ran inside, leaving behind three extra gas masks and a note for Todoroki, Kirishima and Bakugo to not open the airtight door of the staircase without putting the masks on first.

"We will deal with these fools! Get going and restart the alarm!" Hakame ordered, gesturing towards the service lift barely visible through the smoke with her brass cigarette holder. Immediately she took cover behind a metallic box as gunfire rained on her position, prompting her to shout something in Okinawan.

Soon after that one of the gunmen was thrown of the catwalk and into the box. Hakuba could be seen diving back into the smoke cover while complaining back to his grandmother in their native language.

"Yes, ma'am!" the group's voices sounded muffled by their masks as they quickly made it in the elevator.

"Both of you! Take care!" Yaoyorozu shouted as the doors closed and they took off to the 111th floor.

Six of the thirteen enemies were out of commission already, three of them barely had time to react before the gas forced them to the ground with a burning pain into their eyes and throats.

The combat plan was very simple, Hakuba would use the smoke cover to close the distance while Hakama flooded the ground floor of the storage facility with her Miasma. Her grandson would simply throw those in the catwalks down into the smoke.

Gunfire pelted the thick smoke in vain, serving only to give away the villains positions as Hakuba only moved in absolute silencea longside the most unconventional paths while Hakame simply sat against a corner, away from danger, steadily breathing in her toxic gas in order to breathe out more of it.

The remaining enemies on the ground floor of the facility were rushing towards the ladders, out of the nine only three made it to the catwalks.

"Back down, please." Hakuba politely asked as he took one of the villains by surprise, kicking the back on the target's knee with his Chelicerae before stepping in and flipping the villain over his shoulder and down the ladder access, knocking one of the climbers down into the smoke. There was no need for him to inject anything, but that poor soul now would need to deal with both tear gas and muscle cramps.

A volley of gunfire made him dive down into the smoke. While his own Quirk made him immune to the effects of the thick gas that filled the entire floor by now he couldn't just stay there forever as he lacked his grandmothers ability to actually breath any kind of gas, and since her Miasma displaced oxygen he would eventually asphyxiate down there, at least she had the decency of not using a gas much heavier than air and aim it high, this way she created a layer of breathable air for those that were laying down on the ground, at least for the next few minutes.

The second problem however was that the smell of cigarette smoke would get him reeking for a while. Unfortunately his grandmother actually liked smoking and made sure to use regular cigarettes as basis for her chemical suppliers. His idea of carrying pills with chemicals was based on her idea of carrying around a box of cigarettes filled with compounds that burned into different gasses, like the yellowish one she smoked prior this fight, which was basically a tear gas grenade rolled into paper.

No time to dally. He had a fight to finish.

Meanwhile on the other side of the room a stalemate took place. Hakame was being held at gunpoint.

"Now granny, on the ground!" the villain's raspy voice commanded.

"My my, the last time someone called me granny it was over ten years ago… Fura wasn't even worth hitting yet." the elder responded dismissively as she looked over the handgun pointed at her head and towards the enemy in front of her.

This one had what looked like a wind-type Quirk that kept him safe from her Miasma, a soft breeze surrounded his whole body, forming a column of fresh air around him.

"I'm not going to repeat myself another time! Ground! Now!" the villain shouted.

"It's not like you will have time to." Hakame sighed, quickly flicking the cigarette holder into her hand and pressing the ember against her opponent's forearm as she ducked beneath his aim. With one swift movement she took the handgun from the weakened grasp and pulled the ammo clip out.

There was still the bullet left in the chamber, however that didn't last long however as Hakame quickly pointed the gun towards the assailant's foot and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

The column of breathable air quickly collapsed as the enemy lost his focus completely, he was as good as knocked out now as his eyes quickly teared up and he began retching.

The gunfire had died down, through the smoke she could faintly see her grandson dropkicking some sort of beast-looking fellow over the railing of the catwalk and down into the smoke, the last villain in the storehouse it seemed. It bothered her to see how much his movements looked like the ones of his late mother. It bothered her even more that he still lacked most of the refinement Kagome had.

Likely Hakuba could do it but he was still too scared of going all out.

"We are still not done here. Knock these guys out and bring them to back to the catwalks, save me the trouble of having to deal with the paperwork of having dead hostiles." Hakame ordered, a short coughing fit following her speech.

"You all right down there, you viper?" Hakuba asked as he promptly begun loading his Chelicerae with a knockout drug and tagged every enemy still awake with it.

"I am not as young as I used to be, Fura." Hakame admitted as she took to climbing one of the ladders before finding somewhere suitable to sit.

Her grandson took to completing the order in silence before sitting on the railing by her side about twenty minutes later.

"Tell me more about this Yaoyorozu." Hakame demanded as she lit up a regular cigarette.

"You really want to do this right now?" Hakuba's expression showed mild fatigue, both from the question and from the effort he had pulled up until now. He could feel his body dehydrating from all the work he went through, both the physical and the chemical one needed for his Quirk.

"For better or worse you are my only heir. And you know that I will find out what I want to know regardless of you telling me, so save my people the trouble of searching for the information." Hakame responded.

"She is a recommended student like me, has the class top grades when it comes to the academics, comes from a hero family that is likely one of the richest in Japan and has a ridiculously powerful Quirk. Anything else that interests you?" Hakuba listed tiredly as he knew very well about his grandmother's priorities.

"How much does she know?" Hakame asked as she knocked her cigarette holder lightly on the box she was sitting.

"That depends on what you had the Colonel stuff into that envelope. I gave it to her about a month ago, but I doubt she took to reading what was in there." Hakuba responded, looking away now.

"I trust you know what you are doing." Hakame rolled her eyes.

"A little late for you to decide to provide me with any emotional support, don't you think? Damn hag..." Hakuba scowled.

The elder only sighed her disapproval for his breach of protocol.

The sound of many wheels rolling caught their attention.

"We better hide Fura, the two of us are not going to amount to much against these ones."

"Yes, ma'am."

-.

 **July 9th, I-Island, Central Tower, Rooftop, 0445.**

It had taken about two hours for the security bots to be turned off. About twenty minutes prior to that the storehouse had filled with the sounds of combat once more; Bakugo, Kirishima and Todoroki were cleaving their way through the robots, and neither of the Machibuses cared to join in as the waves of mechanical foes didn't appeal to them.

They immediately took to running up the tower once more once the way was clear, and they ended up meeting with most of the group in the 138th floor, as they finished untying themselves from the now passive guards.

All the shutters were open and doors unlocked. Nothing obstructed their path. They found Bakugo, Kirishima, Uraraka and Todoroki in the security control room and a trail of blood leading from what looked like a vault to the rooftop. Inside the vault was a man slumped against the wall, barely conscious as he clutched a bullet wound on his arm, the ID on his chest gave away that he was a scientist from I-Island. Hakuba quickly patched the wound the best he could and got the man to sleep as Momo provided him with a pill similar to the one he normally would swallow to synthesize an anti-hemorrhagic. That scientist was safe for now, but all that blood couldn't possibly be his.

Something exploded above the tower.

Uraraka then found the ribbon Melissa had on her hair laying on the floor of the vault.

That got everyone anxious as they rushed towards the rooftop.

They were about to reach the last set of stairs when the whole tower shook.

The group arrived just in time to see a gargantuan construct that seemed to sprout from the tower pushing All Might back.

Todoroki and Bakugo immediately took ran to help.

"Wait!" the younger Machibuse stopped them.

"Are you not seeing what is happening outside, Pinprick!?" Bakugo protested.

"Of course I am. But we all have been fighting for way longer than we should…" Machibuse spoke but Todoroki interrupted him.

"I'm not just going to watch th…!" he spat.

"Let me finish, damnit!" Machibuse was now the one to interrupt, taking a moment to look at the Chelicerae on his palms.

"I apologize for breaking protocol… I can't fight that thing with these, but I can help you guys to do it!" he spoke before placing his hands on their shoulders with care.

"Side effects might include increase in body temperature and mild numbness to pain and cold. You will likely be exhausted to the point of not being able to move a finger when this runs out, so pardon my vocabulary when I tell you guys to get that plus ultra shit going. Payload delivered." he informed before pushing his classmates towards the battle.

Both Todoroki and Bakugo could feel their bodies a lot lighter than before and for both of them the increase in body temperature was everything but a problem. Bakugo would get to sweat more and Todoroki could push further with his ice.

They now jumped into action in time to help their teacher.

"Iida-san, Kirishima-san, wait for a moment while I load something more situated to both of you. Twenty seconds should… I will get it done in ten!" the younger Machibuse spoke once more, this time cutting his own words, the veins on his hands bulging as he pushed to his limit.

"Right!" both agreed

In an instant after that the two were rushing to battle as well.

"Yaoyorozu-san, we leave defense to you!" Iida spoke before he and Kirishima started forcing their way in amidst the chaos of metal being flung their way.

"You can count on me!" she responded, quickly deploying shields in front of the stairs they were in.

Hakuba leaned against the wall, dehydration was getting to him. He had synthesized a lot of different chemicals that night and the last time he stopped to drink something was well over twelve hours ago.

They were managing to push the villain for a moment with their combined efforts.

Then something shifted.

The villain stopped All Might.

Soon the number one hero was trapped by a massive hunk of floating metal.

Time basically stopped as everyone watched in despair as the villain commanded multiple metallic spikes to impale the structure.

Everyone but Midoriya.

He shattered the prison.

Debris were flung everywhere.

"Fura, you might need to get working on another payload." the elder Machibuse called out as she pointed towards someone trapped in the metal construct, professor David Shield had been the one to leave that trail of blood by the color of his clothing.

Hakuba slowly got to his feet.

"Momo, I need a bow and something akin to one of my Delivery Arrows." Hakuba asked weakly.

Took Momo some effort but she created what was asked.

Hakuba loaded the arrow and took aim. The anti-hemorrhagic agent was still in is system, so he could still get it synthesized.

All Might and his protegee charged in, they had the villains entire attention.

The arrow took flight.

Hakuba fell backwards as he heard the group cheering for the duo.

Someone broke his fall.

The tower trembled once more, this time with much more force than before.

Whatever All Might and Midoriya had done must've been amazing to see, but Hakuba's blurry vision couldn't focus on anything much further than Momo holding him as she gently shifted her position after the tremor, his head now resting on her lap.

" _Hell, it's already morning…"_ he thought as he could faintly see light reflecting on her face.

Damn, Momo looked beautiful.

With a deep breath he began his last concoction of the day.

"Call the four I boosted up, better I cut that drug as soon as possible…" Hakuba managed to speak, his voice rasp due to his dry throat.

"…and get someone to pick up my shoes for me… they are all the way back at the plant factory place in the 80th floor… that is the best pair of shoes I own…"

Hakame could only smile at her grandson.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Whoo, been a while since we ended up with one of these chapters that is just action non-stop… last time this happened was what? During the training with Edgeshot? Hell, I don't even know… these kinds of chapters are the ones that I tend to feel less secure about, but this one ended up nicer than I expected.**_

 _ **Anyway, seems like you liked the old hag, so have some info on her:**_

 _ **-.**_

 **Name:** Machibuse Hakame

 **Birthday:** May 2nd

 **Age:** 74

 **Height:** 165cm (5'4'')

 **Blood Type:** AB-

 **Birthplace:** Okinawa Prefecture

 **Quirk Type:** Mutant

 **Quirk Name:** Miasma

 **Short Quirk Description:** Capable of breathing any type of gas or vapor and of recreating massive amounts of any substance inhaled. Two cubic centimeters of inhaled gas can produce up to a cubic meter of exhaled gas.

 **Likes:** Traditional Okinawan Cuisine, cigarettes, bossing people around.

 **Dislikes:** Spicy food, Machibuse Kagome*

 _ **-.**_

 _ **And don't worry, she will come back soon enough. More on the * will come about soon enough, I might have a surprise cooking for you guys.**_

 _ **Keeping with the theme I got for Hakuba, Hakame also shares her birthday with a One Piece character, in this case being Garp. The reasoning behind has more to do with the grandparent status than to do with power… even if Hakame is a pretty powerful character and Miasma a pretty overpowered Quirk.**_

 _ **Once more, thank you and until next time!**_


	29. Family

_**Last time I said I had a surprise for you guys… It was supposed to be a double update but some minor hardware issues have come to happen to my main PC and I only had this one saved on the cloud. Nothing was lost about the next chapters (or anything else for that matter), it was just the power supply that died out.**_

-.

 **July 15th, Machibuse Residence, 1120.**

It wasn't really the music that got Hakuba to wake up, sure that had played its part, but the feeling of something vibrating against his face was what got him to come back from his slumber.

He had fallen asleep with his cellphone on top of his face.

Classy.

Over the last few days he had gotten used to sleeping on the couch as a familiar nightmare had caused him to shank his mattress with the Chelicerae on his back and literally rip a hole into the poor object as he shot up to a sitting position. Hakuba had learned to always sleep on his left side, not only this helped him to keep his breathing silent and heart protected from surprise attacks, but more importantly it kept his back off the mattress to prevent accidents like that. Just his luck to have been visited by his night terrors right on the occasion he had fallen asleep while reading.

He took a lot of care as to position properly whenever Momo decided to sleep with him, even if she kept his nightmares away. It was either that or she would need a nightgown made out of Kevlar, since the cuddling was something they both refused to give up on.

Slowly Hakuba picked up the device and looked at the screen with his still half-closed eyes.

"Mornin'…" Hakuba greeted, his still gravelly voice being interrupted by yawn he didn't bother suppressing much.

" _Oh sorry, didn't meant to wake you up… you usually are up much earlier than this."_ Momo voice came from the speaker sounding surprised.

"Itf waf…" Hakuba stopped himself from speaking for a moment as he forced the Chelicerae in his mouth to retract.

"It was time for me to get up anyways. Stumbled upon a half decent movie, ended up taking longer than normal to go to sleep." he concluded the explanation, rubbing the sleep off his eyes.

" _If you say so…"_ Momo responded. As far as she knew the only time he had overslept this year was during the weeks in between his arrival in Tokyo and the first day of school. Two out of the three times they had slept together he had woken up before nine AM, and the third one hardly could be taken into account as it had been after the I-Island incident… they pretty much just dropped dead on the large bed on his room in the hotel and only woke up in the early hours of the afternoon.

They were silent for a moment as she gave him time to get his bearings together.

" _Anyway, I called up just to ask what time you're planning on coming here to Nagoya."_ Momo spoke, a small amount of nervousness in her voice.

"Coming to Nagoya…? Excuse me?" Hakuba asked confusedly, still feeling a little slow.

" _Huh? I thought you would come to see them today."_ Momo responded, as confused as he was.

"I have the distinct impression we are missing something in this conversation." Hakuba suggested.

" _Hakuba, it's Obon."_ Momo clarified.

"Momo, it's July." Hakuba responded, his still half-asleep expression now matching the confusion in his mind.

"… _You know that you are not in Okinawa, right?"_ Momo asked, she had found the problem.

"Affirmative, Momo. But why is that relevant?" Hakuba asked back.

Momo didn't respond, Hakuba could only barely hear her muttering the word "idiot" away from her cellphone.

The gears inside his mind finally got working properly.

"I am not in Okinawa." Hakuba spoke more to himself than to the cellphone, now fully awake. Okinawa was one of the few places in Japan that celebrated the day of the spirits in August.

That would be the first time Hakuba would be able to properly honor his parents graves during the ceremony.

"I need to look for the clothing I brought from home, excuse me… Thank you for reminding me, Momo!" Hakuba rushed to his feet.

" _Wait!"_ her voice came from the speaker just as he pulled the cellphone away from his ear.

" _What time are you coming!?"_ Momo asked hastily.

"That depends on the train. I should be leaving for the station in about an hour and a half, plus some twenty minutes since I need to stop by Midoriya's since it's his birthday. Why?" Hakuba responded somewhat uncertain as he made way towards his room and began searching for his kimono inside the boxes.

" _Its just…"_ Momo began, the nervousness from early back to her voice.

Took her a second to speak again.

"You want to come along, am I right?" Hakuba asked as he connected the dots.

"… _Only if you don't feel like I am intruding."_ Momo responded, still sounding uneasy. That likely had lot to do with the last time she had been at his parents' graves.

Hakuba couldn't help but smile.

-.

 **July 15th, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, Yaoyorozu Estate, 1440.**

Once more the Hakuba found himself standing baffled at the Yaoyorozu's front gate, the place somehow looked bigger than before.

"Just… why?" he asked out loud as he approached the intercom and pushed the button.

Momo picked up almost immediately once more and soon the gates swung open.

Hakuba adjusted the baggage he was carrying, the case of his shamisen on one shoulder and his school bag on the other. This time however he had left the school supplies back at home, instead the bag just housed some neatly folded clothes.

They had decided to meet at her house and go from there, this way Hakuba didn't needed to take the train dressed in a kimono. For the moment he sported dark blue jean and a plain white shirt, two buttons undone and sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

Soon enough he had reached the massive doors of the mansion and Momo happily waited for him atop the stairs, it was easy to tell by her body language that she was very much excited about the how her day was shaping up. Momo was much less secretive about her past and had told him on occasion that she had always been somewhat lonely as a child because of the rather strict way she was raised by her mother… that was why she got so happy about having friends coming to her house.

She also never had been one to go festivals and such because of that.

As it turns out Hakuba presented a solution to both problems today.

"Welcome!" Momo spoke with a smile.

Hakuba couldn't help but feel his face warming up as her hand joined his and she led him inside, this bubbly side of hers was still a little too much for him.

Took him a moment to realize that he had absolutely no idea as to where Momo was taking him, and, given that she had a private movie theater in her house, he simply didn't know what to expect.

"Momo? Where exactly are we going?" Hakuba asked as he politely nodded towards one of the house's servants that watched him being led through the corridors.

"Just a quick stop by the reading room, my mother has returned from Italy already… she wants to meet you." Momo responded with an awkward smile.

"Oh…" Hakuba quirked an eyebrow.

"Sorry, guess I should've asked you before…" Momo blushed lightly, she felt embarrassed by that situation.

"You got to meet the hag by surprise, that was hardly fair. Your mother can't be worse than her… I mean, you literally got called "In-law" the second time she talked to you." Hakuba offered.

"I can't really argue with that." Momo admitted, completely getting over her embarrassment just now.

"You two really don't get along, why is that?" she asked as they reached the doors to their destination.

"There is a lot of bad blood between us, the physical abuse is the least of the problems really. It would take me a good while to list everything, even if I were to skip the parts that actually are classified information." Hakuba informed.

"I'm asking because I was actually expecting something much worse. She is quite forceful, sure, but it wasn't so bad." Momo spoke, slowly pushing the doors open.

"That's because of who you are, really." Hakuba responded, his tone somewhat hushed as they now weren't alone.

Momo gave him a confused look for a moment, but the matter now at hand required her attention.

As every other place Hakuba had seen in that house, the room was massive and filled with really fancy furniture. Most interesting was that the semi-circular room apparently reached into the second floor, with a marble staircase running alongside about two thirds of the wall and reaching towards a round balcony perched above the doorway he was standing in. Two features caught most of Hakuba's attention, the massive bookshelf fitted neatly underneath the stairway with literally hundreds of books and the light pink marble fireplace nested in an alcove a few feet away from the first steps to the second floor.

"Mother, Hakuba is here." Momo announced as they entered the room.

A woman got up from one of the baroque-looking armchairs in front of the cold fireplace, calmly placing a bookmark in as she closed the large book in her hand, a family album by the looks of it. Just about as tall as Momo, the woman in her middle forties wore a long, light blue dress with a white and black mosaic pattern. She looked a lot like her daughter, the key difference being her hair, wavier and much lighter in color. There were a few articles of jewelry dotting her figure, but nothing overbearing… not to say that the necklace she wore didn't seem as expensive a car, hell, that diamond was the size of an ice cube.

"A pleasure to meet you, ma'am." Hakuba bowed sharply.

"Oh my, no need to be so formal!" the woman spoke with a disarming, welcoming tone.

"That's just how he is." Momo sighed as Hakuba straightened his back. Her mother was quick to notice the dog tags dangling around the boy's neck and how they were clearly not a pair of those flimsy fakes people wore for looks. That explained a lot.

Back in February Momo had told her parents about the other recommended students that were accepted in U.A. alongside her and mentioned that one of them was from a military academy.

"So you are the one that has been courting my daughter, the famed Machibuse. Glad to finally put a face to the name. Yaoyorozu Hana, a pleasure to meet you." the woman introduced herself politely, discreetly studying the boy in front of her.

"Famed?" Hakuba quirked an eyebrow, turning to Momo.

"She asked a lot of questions when I said I had a date after the Sports Festival. And I mean _a lot_." Momo explained tiredly.

"Well, miss, excuse me for wanting to protect my daughter! It may not look like it but I was also a teenager once! You have not idea how much talking your father had to do to convince me when you began going to his home to "help him study"!" Hana retorted, a small amount of color rushing to her face as she defended herself.

Momo widened her eyes about what her mother had implied.

"Ma'am, if it serves to ease your worries I was in dire straits after the midterms, so I really needed to study. I owe my success in the finals due to her help." Hakuba offered.

"…You just backed yourself into a corner. Good luck." Momo warned.

"Excuse me?" Hakuba asked confusedly.

"In this house we give a great deal of importance to academic success, and you just told me that you were slacking. Not a good move if you intend on keep wooing my daughter." Hana told him sternly.

"I suppose there is a misunderstanding. It wasn't by choice that I had to slack on my duties." Hakuba spoke, he would need to play his cards right now.

"And your excuse is?" Hana asked.

"Permission to break protocol, ma'am?" Hakuba asked back.

Hana stared at the boy for a moment before turning to her daughter for an explanation.

"I have nothing to do with that." Momo stepped away, turning her eyes to some random spot in the ceiling.

"Sure?" Hana half answered.

Hakuba gave a short nod and proceeded to then pull his shirt out of his pants to show the scar on his abdomen.

Hana's eyes went wide.

"This happened a about two weeks prior the midterms, I was already somewhat backed up on my studies for personal reasons prior to the Sports Festival but having to go back and forth to the hospital to make sure I was healing well made it impossible for me to catch up in time." Hakuba explained the situation.

Momo just facepalmed while her mother was left speechless.

"Being injured was a recurring thing for me during the first two months of school… This and the one on my palm are two are the only big scars; my right hand was blown open during my final fight in the Sports Festival, lost about a fifth of my blood because of that. Beyond that there was also the time my shoulder got yanked out of its socket and the time I blacked out for six hours straight due to dehydration. Not mentioning smaller injuries like two cracked ribs during the Sports Festival and minor muscle tearing during the first day of school. I have been trying to keep myself out of harm's way, but by now my medical record is already the second most convoluted amongst Class 1-A. Can't say my grades escaped unscathed from all the trouble I've been through, ma'am." he concluded, adjusting his clothing once more.

"Midoriya is the first?" Momo asked out of curiosity.

"Affirmative. He currently beats me by three entries… But personally I hope that we all leave our medical records the way they are." Hakuba responded with a sigh.

"I am not even sure if I should ask... just… don't make her worry too much." Hana shook her head in confused, reluctant acceptance.

"He is very good at wiggling away from trouble. Gives me some a few headaches but I have my methods of keeping him in line most of the time." Momo informed, the deadpanned stare she gave Hakuba a clear indication that she had not approved of his little stunt just now.

"Guess he and your father will get along just fine then…" Hana just sighed.

"Your husband is not here, I presume." Hakuba spoke, mostly an excuse to change the subject.

"No no, he had a few business meetings to attend in Rome so he stayed back in Italy, should only be back after you two leave for that summer camp. I came back earlier because I felt a little burned out of that city… I mean, it is a lovely place, but there is only so much you can see as a tourist after visiting the same place at least twice a year for half a decade. Next time I should be more keen on staying, if not then it might be easier to fly the industry people from Italy here to Japan… we are still debating on that." the woman explained as if her predicament was the norm.

" _So that's just a whole new standard for the term "first-world problem"…"_ Hakuba thought, once more humbled as he was reminded of the seemingly infinite wealth of the Yaoyorozu family. The façade still held strong however.

"Ever been to Rome?" Hana asked as casually as if Italy was just on the other side of the street.

"Negative ma'am. Furthest I have ever been from Japan was a trip to Seoul, but I am afraid I remember none of it since I was only three at the time… albeit I sometimes feel like a tourist here in Honshu, so I have that going for me." Hakuba responded, the sudden question taking him by surprise.

"Ah yes, Momo told me you are from Okinawa. Been ages since I visited there… great, now I feel old…" Hana mused.

"Mother, the time." Momo pointed out.

"Right! Go get changed you two, we can talk more later. You got something important to do, young man. There is a bathroom right around the corridor you came from, feel free to use it. I will ask someone to take your belongings to her room." Hana offered.

Hakuba just gave a firm nod.

"We meet back here then." Momo told him as she made her way towards the stairs, trying her best to keep her composure. She was very eager to go out.

Hakuba just watched as she made her way towards the small balcony and disappeared from sight. He was just about to turn back to her mother to excuse himself when her voice came once more.

"I was being very serious when I said that I want to protect her… the first people asking for my husband and I to arrange her future marriage came in not even a full day after she was born, and you can imagine that after her Quirk manifested there were more than a few pushing for a Quirk marriage once she came to age." Hana spoke in a very serious tone.

"I would be surprised otherwise; her Creation is easily one of the most powerful Quirks I have ever seen, and a marriage into this family comes with much more than that as well." Hakuba agreed, taking moment to look around the room of the manor he was in.

"Since young she had to deal with fake friends that just wanted to use her for personal gain. And since my daughter became such a beautiful young woman that also made hopeful boyfriends very problematic... you do understand what I am getting at, correct?" Hana warned, her eyes carefully studying the boy in front of her.

Hakuba dropped his façade for a moment, mild sadness came to his face.

"My family has been in the military for generations now. Quirk marriages are commonplace there. Can't say I have not been affected by it in a way." Hakuba informed.

Hana didn't respond to that, but the question was visible in her eyes.

"It's the opposite of what you are thinking. My grandmother planned my father's marriage for years even after she had come to know that her son had a girlfriend… My parents married in secret and my grandmother only learned about that once I was born. Took the hag five years to speak with my father again after that, and she adamantly refused to even meet my mother unless it was strictly necessary." the boy explained with bitterness in his voice, his shoulders shifting uncomfortably.

Hakuba then chuckled.

"However I am not going to say that I don't like how your daughter looks, so you will have to excuse me for that, ma'am." he added with a sheepishly smile.

Hana could only laugh, that last bit caught her by surprise.

"I apologize for breaking protocol." Hakuba bowed lightly.

"I am beginning to see why my Momo is so fond of you… keep her happy like you do and things will work out just fine." Hana offered with a smile.

"I really hope they do, ma'am."

-.

 **July 15th, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, Yagoto Cemetery Surroundings, 1635.**

One of the drivers that served the Yaoyorozu family took both Hakuba and Momo to as close as possible to the cemetery, the surrounding area had been closed to traffic and now was filled with stands and people attending the celebrations.

Hakuba meekly made his way out of the car. That SUV was likely worth more than his apartment.

There were a lot of people there.

Hakuba's grip on the strap of the case he carried over his shoulder tightened instinctively as the thought of someone in that crowd pointing out that there were U.A. students present crossed his mind.

Momo hooked her arm around his.

"It is fine." she soothed his nervousness with a smile.

Hakuba took a deep breath and soon they began walking towards the hill.

"I've been meaning to ask since we left. This is something from Okinawa, isn't it?" Momo asked, curiously tugging on his sleeve.

Hakuba was dressed in a very distinct type of kimono, black colored with very dark green lines forming a subtle vine-like pattern a on the outside with a thin white lining on the inside. Very large sleeves, loose around the shoulders and no overcoat. Around his waist was a thick yellow sash knotted in a way to leave a section dangling down to one of his knees. The single toothed wooden geta on his feet made him just a smidge taller than Momo, who wore a more common type of sandals.

The overall loose style of his clothing didn't make Hakuba's athletic physique nearly enough justice, but that didn't mean Momo wasn't pleased with his looks. And the added height was something she would need to deliberate about later on.

"This? Affirmative. It's called a "Ryusou". Strictly speaking it serves the same purpose of the traditional kimonos here from the main island, but it is made as to allow the air to cycle through more easily since Okinawa is a lot warmer than here." Hakuba explained as they continued to walk through the festival.

"You going to need to teach me some basic Okinawan one of these days." Momo joked.

"Well, here is a word for you to learn today then, repeat after me: Chu-ra-san." Hakuba proposed.

Simple enough, Momo got it right by the second attempt.

"What does that mean?" she asked, her natural curiosity perking.

"It's something you are." Hakuba offered the clue.

"Something that I am?" Momo asked herself, pondering about the possibilities.

"Beautiful." Hakuba answered after a moment, looking away into the distance as blood rushed to his face. Luckily his tan made it not so apparent.

Momo just tightened the hold she had on his arm, also looking away while blushing heavily as she hid her smile behind one hand.

"The tengu geta are a part of the traditional Okinawan set as well?" she asked, turning her attention to the unconventional footwear and away from the compliment she just received, her face still warm as she spoke.

"This is more of a personal preference. I have sunk my Chelicerae onto the wood to prevent it from clacking against my soles, but the way it tampers my body weight down to a small area makes it hard to walk around without making sound, it is a good training tool for both balancing and stealth." Hakuba responded.

"Diligent as always, aren't you?" Momo commented after a short laugh.

By now they were crossing the densest part of the crowd, most of it comprised by people that had stopped to watch the main stage receiving the finishing touches. The scent of incense and street food filled the air alongside the sounds of the crowd peppered by music and singing. Event staff were beginning the process of lighting up the lanterns for the night to come.

Hakuba looked to his side.

Momo looked gorgeous in that flowered red kimono, the black sash around her stomach accentuating her chest and hips just the right way. But that was not what caught his eye... Well, at least not what caught his eye the most.

Momo had a childish smile on her lips as she took in the surroundings, as far as Hakuba knew that was her first time in years attending a festival like this.

"Need any help?" Momo asked, staring at him from the corner of her eyes, very aware of where his vision had drifted to.

Hakuba chuckled, gently pulling her waist closer as they stopped away from the main path, by the base of the hill where the tombstones they had come to visit were.

"If I had been the one to choose back then I never would have left the military and leaving Okinawa because I was ordered was something I did begrudgingly to say the least. Those first three weeks almost had me quitting… I never thanked you for pushing me forward that day before the Sports Festival. Moments like this one are only happening because you were there for me back then, and they make everything worth it." he spoke, dropping his façade entirely to reveal a small, timid smile on the corner of his lips.

Momo's heart skipped a beat as he leaned his forehead on hers. She was truly at a loss for words. He then planted a firm kiss on her lips, which she wholeheartedly accepted.

They just stood embraced for a moment after that, her nose nuzzled against the skin of his neck as she rested her head on one of his shoulders.

Hakuba took a deep breath, he had been building up courage to tell Momo that he loved her for a while, months ago he failed to do so but concluded that it had been for the better after he had given it some thought. He wanted to tell her personally and had been looking for an opportunity like this one.

He opened his mouth to speak…

"Get a room you two, my brothers are watching." a familiar voice coming from a few steps away interrupted.

"T-Tsu-chan!" Yaoyorozu stammered in surprise as she stepped back.

Machibuse just remained impassive, managing to keep his cool. Or at least keep the appearances up as he screamed in his mind and he turned to meet his classmate. She was intrusive, yes, but he couldn't deny that she looked cute in that light blue kimono.

"Asui-san." he greeted.

"This time you get a pass about how you call me because I seem to have interrupted something -gero" Asui responded.

"I am glad you noticed." Machibuse spoke, mild annoyance seeping into his tone.

Yaoyorozu quirked an eyebrow at that, but something else caught her attention; four people approached, a man, a woman and two children. Didn't take a detective to point out that they were her classmate's family.

"Friends of yours, dear?" the woman asked, placing a finger against her large mouth in a way very familiar to her daughter's tic.

Tsuyu nodded.

"They are from my class; Momo-chan and Hakuba-chan." she introduced.

"A pleasure to meet you." both spoke in unison, Machibuse bowing sharply as he did so.

"Ah, he is the one the announcer called a cheater in the tournament!" Tsuyu's younger brother pointed out.

" _Smooth."_ Machibuse thought as he noticed that the kid had his sister's parlance. He gave Yaoyorozu a quick, confused glance.

"I am not going to defend you, we both know that he is right." she spoke, shrugging her shoulders dismissively.

"You two arriving or leaving? We were thinking about getting something to eat, so if you want to come as well please be our guests. We don't mind having something other than flies for a change." Tsuyu's father offered with a joke.

"We just got here, but the graveyard area should be closing by nightfall, so we can't really take too long." Yaoyorozu responded.

"Affirmative. If waiting is not an issue for you then we sure could join up later." Machibuse suggested in agreement.

The members of the Asui family exchanged looks quickly before Tsuyu responded.

"Go on then, we will go have a look around the festival. Just give me a call and we can meet somewhere -gero" she responded.

With that the duo excused themselves and begun walking up the stairway.

"You were going to say something back there?" Momo asked as she took to walking in front of Hakuba, the somewhat narrow path with people coming from both sides making it inconvenient for them to be side by side.

"Never mind that." Hakuba shrugged, the moment had died already.

Not much later after that they had reached the two tombstones, there were very few people in that row of the cemetery as Momo pulled a cloth she had stored in her handbag and opened it on the floor so they could kneel.

Meanwhile, Hakuba took upon the task of calling one of the monks around the cemetery.

The two prayed silently as the monk performed the rituals.

About twenty minutes later the monk left them to continue providing his services for the last few people to make it to the top of that hill for that day.

Took Hakuba a moment to then pick up his shamisen and begin tuning it.

"Thank you for coming here with me, Momo. It means the world to me." Hakuba spoke.

"I may have not been able to meet them, but if they are important to you then they are important to me as well…" Momo responded, scuttling closer to him.

"Then I guess I should tell you a thing or two about them…"

-.

 **Nine Years Ago, January 9th, Okinawa Prefecture, Naha, 0930.**

" _To the ground! I don't want to see you complaining later so get that back used to hitting the floor!"_

" _Yes, ma'am!"_

 _The exercise routine that took place could've been mistaken by a drill sergeant ordering recruits around in a boot camp. Instead the scene took place at a beach kiosk, the drill sergeant was a woman in her early thirties and the recruit was a six-year-old._

" _Kagome, can you at least try going easy on our son? Not exactly what I had in mind when you informed me about this trip to the beach." a man sitting by the shade of the still closed to business building asked as he peeked over the thick book in his hands. Mild concern laced into his otherwise monotone voice._

" _Don't slack! Use those shoulders to roll as I told you before!" Kagome continued._

" _I know you can hear me."_

" _Of course I can, so be nice and keep quiet Hakaku. He was the one that asked for me to train him." Kagome responded, mildly inconvenienced by her husband's insistence._

 _At that Machibuse Hakaku closed his tome and walked towards his son, who was busy clumsily tumbling forward into the sand time and time again. The constant impact and subsequent friction beginning to wear into his skin._

" _Hakuba, why did you ask you mother for such a thing?" Hakaku questioned his son as he approached._

" _You will not like the answer." Kagome warned._

" _It's to show that old hag how good mom is!" the young Hakuba responded with gusto as he stretched his sore shoulders. His eyes were mildly teared up from pain._

" _Excuse me?" Hakaku was taken aback by that._

" _Hakuba, do cartwheels while I speak with your father. It's ok if you miss your landings but try to land on your feet." Kagome ordered._

" _Yes, ma'am!" the kid responded while pumping a fist into the air and promptly diving towards the ground afterwards. Needless to say he didn't land on his feet._

" _Permission to break protocol?" Hakaku asked as they watched their child with mild amusement._

" _Hakaku, we have been together for what? A decade? You know that you don't need to ask for permission." Kagome sighed._

" _Nine years, five months and twenty-two days. I have been hit enough times to keep the protocol fresh in my mind, and you know it… Now, the fuck exactly does my mother has to do with this?" he asked worriedly._

" _Our son is a sharp little one, and apparently he concluded that if he can impress that witch with something he learned from me than she will have no other choice but to respect me. I will be taking him to buy a training bow later this week as well." Kagome explained._

" _And you went along? You know how much effort I have been putting over the last few years to try to get this family back together, and now I will have to deal with Hakuba antagonizing my mother as well?" Hakaku couldn't believe what he just heard._

" _I tried arguing with him… said that if he was to learn from one of us then you should be the one to teach him anything. I mean, you actually save people… I just send them to the hospital or worse." Kagome defended herself._

 _The couple was in silence for a moment as they watched their son jumping in glee as he managed to land on his feet._

" _Hakuba told me that he would find a way to help with what I can teach him." Kagome smiled._

" _So that's our son saying that he will keep the family into the military?" Hakaku sighed in acceptance._

" _Either that or we better start looking for hero schools." Kagome laughed as they made their way towards Hakuba, who by now had decided to excuse himself from training to search for something to quench his thirst in his parents' belongings._

" _At least with you getting him to exercise like this will make so that he stops running inside his room… his Quirk is destroying the wooden floor." Hakaku decided to take the positive approach when thinking about the problem._

" _Well, he is your son, so don't be surprised if even after this he still has gas in the tank to ruin the floorboards with those little hooks of his. That reminds me; we might need a new shower curtain… he apparently slipped while in the shower and used the one we had to brace. I found him trying to glue the ribbons of plastic back together earlier today." Kagome informed, stifling a laugh as she remembered the image of her son meshing the destroyed curtain with tape while half wrapped in a towel._

" _Why the hell do children have Quirks?"_

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Some wholesome content for a change, yes? It does surprise me a little that there is no matsuri festival episodes in MHA, I like how the series breaks the mold on shonen tropes, but ffs, the main character's birthday is on one of the most important holydays of Japanese culture and that bothers me quite some...**_

 _ **Momo's mother oddly enough has cannon material on her, she appears in one pannel in the end of chapter notes about Momo's Creation Quirk, but is just appearance and some ditsy dialogue.**_

 _ **Took me twenty-nine chapters to get some characterization in for Hakuba's parents, suppose that's the price I pay for wanting to set his past the way I did. I might write another fic focusing on those two eventually, but don't hold your breaths while waiting for that to happen. If anything there will be more flashbacks like this every so often now that there is some groundwork done, I kinda needed to introduce the hag so things would make sense.**_

 _ **Anyways, we are finally about to reach the Training Camp arc, and, if my PC doesn't explode, the next update should be coming in the next few days!**_

 _ **Love ya! Till next time!**_


	30. Wild, Wild Training Camp I

_**Thirty chapters in; at this point I mostly blame you guys for the fact that I keep pushing.**_

 _ **Ninja edit: So... this fic got 1k views in a single day for the first time today. My heart can't deal with that guys, come on!**_

-.

 **July 19th, U.A. Highschool Parking Lot, 0645.**

The sun was still low in the morning sky, but the excitement got even the usual sleepyheads in high spirits.

The long-waited summer training camp was just hours away.

"U.A. Highschool has finished it's first semester for this year and started summer vacation. However…" Aisawa gave his speech a brief pause as he finished checking that all his students had stored their bags into the bus's cargo compartment.

"Those of you trying to be heroes will not receive days of rest. At this summer training camp we'll having you aiming for even greater heights, for "Plus Ultra"!" the teacher concluded before turning to begin inspecting the vehicle for departure.

"Yes, Sir!" Class 1-A responded in unison.

Machibuse adjusted the straps of the instrument case over his shoulder. He left his apartment without the shamisen at first, but reluctantly decided to go back and pack it up to the trip… Momo was still the only one person he would play to comfortably, at least the only living one, but as his teacher had just put it, it was time to aim for even greater heights.

Uraraka suddenly bolting away from Midoriya caught his attention, her face lit like a flare as she broke into some very peculiar form of celebration that for some reason had both Kaminari and Ashido joining in.

"At least they seem excited…" Jiro offered as she watched the scene alongside Machibuse and Shoji.

"I would advise for us to hold the celebrations for after we confirm that this summer camp is not a literal boot camp." Machibuse suggested flatly, his eyes veering towards the two class representatives, who just were finishing speaking as evidenced by Iida excusing himself as he joined their teacher in the inspection.

"You for once seem to be taking this one lightly as well." Shoji pointed out as he eyed the case his friend carried.

"It is not always that people request this from me, guess I should at the very least try to deliver." Machibuse responded, shifting on his feet slightly.

"Heh, thank you for that, Captain… show me the ropes on how to play that one when we get some downtime and we can at least share the burden." Jiro chuckled, elbowing Machibuse playfully in the arm with a smile on her face.

Yaoyorozu just joined the three when a voice came from the entrance to the parking lot.

"So you mean to tell me that there are people in Class A who are getting extra lessons!? That means some of you failed!? How weird is that huh!? Isn't the despicable Class A supposed to be leagues ahead of Class B!?" Monoma's voice filled the air, poison lining every word.

He turned towards Machibuse with the largest possible grin in his face.

"You know what that mean, right? Casano…"

 _*WHACK*_

"Sorry!" Kendo offered as she dragged the unconscious Monoma towards the Class 1-B's bus.

"What did he call you?" Yaoyorozu asked confusedly, giving Machibuse a puzzled look as the two classes greeted each other.

At that he just turned towards to Momo respond, his eyes focusing intensely on Jiro behind her for a slip second. His lieutenant was almost bursting into hysterical laughter, her prehensile earlobes stiff in tension as she clamped her mouth shut with both hands.

"I might need to deal with Monoma-san when we get back." Machibuse sighed, a vague answer was better than no answer at all.

"We are getting on the bus!" Kendo called her classmates, prompting them to move.

"Not just the girls from Class A, but the girls from Class B will also be there! It will be like a buffet where we can pick and choose from!" Mineta expressed other form of excitement, his arm covering his mouth in a failed attempt to keep himself from salivating.

"That's about enough out of you." Kirishima warned

Exactly the words in Machibuse's mind as he walked towards Class 1-A's bus. Unfortunately for him the instrument inside the case was somewhat fragile, and that stopped him from hitting Mineta in the head with the case as he passed by.

Soon enough they were all lined up to get inside as per Iida's directions.

It was time to go.

-.

 **July 19th, In Transit Towards U.A.'s Summer Camp Location, 0830.**

Class 1-A had been moving for about ninety minutes now but had only left the urban area of Tokyo an hour ago. With the exception of some mild traffic caused by ongoing roadwork the voyage thus far had been smooth.

"Everyone, the bus will stop once in about and hour. After that…" Aisawa, who had been mostly busy tuning out the chatter coming from behind him during the drive, turned to address his students.

It was chaos.

"Oi! Machibuse! Kick that beat up!" Kaminari called down the corridor from his seat on the first row of the bus.

"Hai!" Machibuse responded as he began strumming the shamisen at an increased pace of his notes after a brief pause. He had been playing much more timidly up until now as he taught the basics of the instrument to Jiro, who was sitting by his side so the instrument could easily go back and forth between them. Whether or not that had been her intention from the start, the little crash course she asked for gave him a lot of confidence to actually play for his classmates.

Shoji and Yaoyorozu sat behind them, both uncultured in string instruments trying to piece together the jargon the two musicians that occupied the space in front of them were using. Momo was no strange to music and Hakuba knew that, he had seen a damn grand piano on that massive room of hers a couple days ago, part of the etiquette training she went through as a child according to her. She could at least try to match the string terms to the equivalent keys she knew.

It had not escaped Machibuse however how Bakugo, of all people, had been quietly drumming his fingers and tapping his feet to the rhythm while pretending to be asleep on the seat diagonal to his… with a great deal of coordination in his motions actually, clearly not just drumming at random.

Odd.

Regardless, the music wasn't by far the predominant sound inside the bus, people were playing games that Machibuse had no memory of ever learning, singing, passing those pocky chocolates around and, in Aoyama's case, posing by the window for the cars that passed.

Actually the loudest thing in the bus was Iida demanding for him to seat back down, only to become dead silent the moment Asui pointed out that the class president was standing as well as he gave the order.

All in all it was being a pleasing enough time. Soon enough Machibuse would allow himself a break from his bardic duties, the winding road alongside the mountainous countryside of Japan were beginning to get him sleepy… maybe it would be a good idea to ask Shoji to switch places with him once they stopped, falling asleep on a familiar shoulder seemed like a good prospect and Momo would likely not mind much.

Still for the moment Machibuse played, he was about to finish the third act and by his estimates would finish the last two before their scheduled stop.

"Hakuba, want some?" Momo's voice came as her head poked over his seat.

Apparently the small box of chocolates had made it to their position. Took Hakuba a moment as he pondered about the sweet, he would need to stop playing to eat and dropping a music right in the middle was not something he particularly enjoyed.

Momo rolled her eyes and pulled one of the treats from the package as she understood his predicament.

"Here. Just don't make a mess." she said, holding out the chocolate for him.

With a shrug Hakuba opened his mouth and picked up. Convenient enough.

"Oh come on Yaomomo! You are doing it wrong!" Ashido complained loudly as she peeked from over her seat.

"Yeah! What a waste!" Hagakure joined in, the sleeve of her uniform giving the impression she was flailing her arm in protest as she kneeled on her seat to look down the corridor, much to Iida's disapproval.

Machibuse and Yaoyorozu just stared back in confusion, the former munching on the biscuit as he continued his music.

"Pocky Game!" Ashido answered frantically as if that was the obvious method to be employed.

Hakuba just got more confused, especially because Momo now turned bright red as she hid behind his seat in embarrassment.

"I am afraid I have no prior knowledge on this "Pocky Game" we are talking about. May I ask for an explanation?" he admitted, leaning over the armrest to look at the red-faced Momo, the third act of the song now finished.

"What!? Man, I know you lived with a bunch of muscly dudes in those barracks, but I mean, that's basic! You are just skipping the levels to get to the prize! How is that even fair!?" Mineta cried out from the back of the bus. His interest in this so called "Pocky Game" made it clear to Machibuse that it was something perverted or at least teetering close to the edge.

Jiro called her Captain closer and explained the so-called game into his ear in a hushed tone, her face faintly blushing as she did so.

Machibuse blinked twice in confusion.

"A highly inefficient feeding method, Lieutenant." he spoke, still confused.

"Captain, that is not why people do it…" Jiro informed facepalming, part of her still would never get over the fact that even if Machibuse was one of the smartest people she knew he was still amazingly dumb when it came down to some very basic things that escaped his usual logic.

Took him a good three to understand what she meant.

Hakuba's eyes went wide.

He knew very well that never he was eating one of those chocolates again without that information coming back. Although the idea wasn't sounding all _that_ bad when he glanced back at Momo…

-.

 **July 19th, In Transit Towards U.A.'s Summer Camp Location, 0925.**

Finally the bus had stopped.

Just in time really, Hakuba really could use some time to stretch his legs a little.

"Everyone out, this is the only scheduled stop we are making. Machibuse, it's better that you leave that here in the bus." Aisawa informed as he parked the vehicle.

Machibuse gave a quick nod and picked up the case from underneath his seat. By the time people started to get up to leave he had already stored the shamisen safely.

Soon enough they were out in the open.

Something felt terribly out of place however, they were just by the roadside in the middle of nowhere… The only thing other than their bus was a civilian car parked nearby.

"Finally taking a break, huh?" Kaminari's voice came full of enjoyment as the feeling of stretching his muscles washed over.

"I gotta pee!" Mineta cried out as he ran around the empty bit of land nearing the cliffside. No bathroom in sight, much to his dismay.

"Does this even count as a rest stop?" Kirishima asked confusedly.

"Yeah… and where is class B?" Jiro pointed out.

Machibuse took a deep breath as he walked towards the rail and looked down. It was a pretty steep drop.

Aisawa's voice caused him to look back.

"There is no point in stopping without a reason." the teacher spoke as he looked over his students, very subtly rounding them up.

"Huh?" they responded in collective confusion.

"B-b-bathroom?" Mineta asked weakly.

"Hey, Eraser!" a female voice came filled with excitement as the doors of the civilian car opened.

"Long time no see." Aisawa greeted with a bow.

" _I'm beginning to think that I shouldn't have left that bus…"_ Machibuse thought as three figures stepped out into view, one clearly a child.

Two women dressed in costumes of similar design but with distinct color schemes. Skirts, large cat paw-like gloves, some very peculiar choice of headgear and tails that Machibuse presumed to be fake.

The two were quick to begin some kind of introductory rite.

"Lock on with these sparkling gazes!"

"Stingingly cute and cat-like!"

"Wild, Wild… Pussycats!"

The students were just too stunned to respond to that.

"These are the pros who will be working with us during the summer camp, the Pussycats." Aisawa explained.

" _Three, two, one…"_ Machibuse counted down towards the obvious exposition that was bound to come their way.

"THEY ARE A FOUR-PERSON HERO TEAM WHO SET UP A JOINT AGENCY! THEY ARE A VETERAN TEAM THAT SPECIALIZES IN MOUNTAIN RESCUES!" Midoriya quickly shouted in excitement leaving even the pros mildly shocked.

"This year will be their twelfth workin…!" he continued but the blonde woman immediately rushed in, clamping his face with one of her paws.

"I am eighteen at heart!" she threatened.

" _Age sensible huh?"_ Machibuse could only quirk and eyebrow in surprise as the second woman approached the safety rail and stopped close to his position.

"We own this whole stretch of land here. You will be staying at the foot of that mountain over there." the brunette informed, gesturing towards a point in the woods.

"Huh? Then why did we stop this far?" Uraraka asked.

"Could that mean…" Asui pondered in fear.

Machibuse just shot his teacher a tired, knowing look. He knew very well what was about to happen. Turned out it was going to be a fucking boot camp, and the first assignment was for them to reach the campsite.

Aisawa just responded with a short nod that prompted his student to begin taking of his shoes.

At least the teacher had been considerate about the shamisen.

"How about we get back into the bus then… like, right now?" Sero suggested as his voice somewhat failed him.

"Ma'am, mind leaving these with Aisawa-sensei once you are done?" Machibuse asked the woman by his side.

She just shot him a knowing grin at the boy who apparently had accepted his destiny.

"It's 09:30 AM right now. If you are fast… maybe around noon?" the pro turned towards the bulk of the students, now with Machibuse's shoes in hand.

"No way… guys…" Kirishima stepped back. This had taken a turn Class 1-A didn't expected.

Machibuse simply passed a leg over the rail calmly as his classmates began running towards the bus in panic.

"Hurry!" Ashido cried out as they rushed away from the cliff.

Machibuse by now had begun climbing down towards the forest bellow.

"Kitties who don't make it by 12:30 will not get any lunch!" the Pussycat in the red uniform continued the explanation amidst the sounds of footsteps.

"Sorry, ladies and gentlemen. The training camp has already begun." Aisawa informed.

Not an instant later the ground shook.

The sky got dark.

Machibuse had his eyes the size of plates as he looked up just in time to see a surge of earth shoving all his classmates down the cliff. He got a little dirt on him and the sudden movement of the very ground he held on startled him to the point the Chelicerae on his back jutted out through his uniform, but otherwise he had avoided the wave.

The Chelicerae on his hands and feet just scraped against the surface, causing him to descend slowly towards his classmates as he calmed his heartbeat down a notch.

If anything the soft dirt that carried them would break their fall.

"Since this is a private land, you can use your Quirks as you wish! You have three hours! Come to the facility on your own feet after going through… the Beast's Forest!" the Pussycat concluded as she peeked over the rail and down into the spot where the students had landed.

"Beast's Forest!?" Midoriya repeated in distress.

"Sounds like something out of Dragon Quest!" Kaminari pointed out as they got back to their feet.

"U.A. does stuff like this way too often." Jiro complained, she almost had fallen on top of Uraraka and Asui.

"Another happy landing." Machibuse offered Yaoyorozu a hand as he joined the group.

"You knew that was coming?" she accepted the help and soon begun dusting herself.

"Not my first rodeo… the earth wave was very unexpected however." Machibuse responded as he now watched Momo fixing her hair.

"No use complaining, we just gotta go." Kirishima accepted the mission ahead.

"Thread with care, if this is anything like the boot camp back in Okinawa then we are bound to run into enemies. Last time I did this it was a squad of seniors armed with paintball guns, and when my group had made it to the camp each of us had to do a lap around the camp for each time we got shot." Machibuse warned as he spotted Mineta rushing into the woods, desperate to relieve himself.

Right on cue something slumbered from behind the trees.

It was pretty damn big.

"IT'S A BEAST!" Sero and Kaminari shouted in unison.

Mineta likely had pissed himself as Koda rushed in, using his Anivoice to subdue the predator.

No avail.

It wasn't a common animal.

A clawed paw came crashing towards the short teenanger.

Midoriya managed to rush in and shove Mineta away from the incoming attack.

Soon he, alongside Bakugo, Iida and Todoroki destroyed the monster, causing it to crumble away into dirt.

"Non-living targets spotted. I will focus on keeping you guys going so don't be shy to ask for a boost, my chemicals will not be very useful for offense here." Machibuse reported as more enemies sprouted from the ground.

"You kidding me…" Ojiro spoke as the group was surrounded.

"Just how many of those things there are!?" Kaminari asked out loud.

"What do we do? Run?" Ashido followed with a question of her own.

"We have no choice but to get through and take the shortest route." Yaoyorozu concluded.

"All right. Let's go, Class A!" Iida called out and was followed by a sharp war cry from most his classmates.

Machibuse was too busy thinking about the distance they would need to cover.

" _It is going to be a good team exercise, but there is no way we are making it in three hours while fighting. I better keep my mouth shut, I'm sure they don't need me weighting down on their spirits..."_ he concluded, slowly rolling his shoulder to limber up for the next hours.

Class A pushed forth, each taking to their positions.

"Three up ahead, two on each side!" Shoji called out, his limbs forming various eyes to scan the area.

"Seven in total! Incoming!" Jiro confirmed the intel.

"Sero-san!" Machibuse rushed forward, jumping towards his classmate with a hand stretched out.

"On it!" Sero quickly launched his tape into the canopies above and reeled himself up, taking Machibuse along for the ride with his free hand.

"My gratitude." Machibuse responded as he levered himself towards a nearby branch, allowing for Sero to have both arms free to deal with a flying enemy coming his way.

Flashes of light and the sounds of battle filled the ground level of the forest as many enemies were quickly dispatched. Machibuse continued dashing from branch to branch; airborne targets were likely the biggest issue for the heavy hitters of Class A, so it was his job to ground them as soon as possible.

One of them had just come in sight. Some misshaped construct as big as a car, made out of dirt and plants stuck to it resembling some kind of bird.

Machibuse quickly kicked the branch he was on to get its attention. It immediately dove after him.

The teen quickly vaulted over the monster's head, the Chelicerae on both his palms digging deep into it, forcing the monster to reel upwards sharply and crash against the tree.

"Iida-san! Have at it!" Machibuse shouted as he jumped away back into the leaves, leaving the earth monster to fall towards a powerful kick that snapped it like it was nothing.

It was a really good team exercise.

But there would be quite a few hours of it to come.

-.

 **July 19th, In Transit Towards U.A.'s Summer Camp Location, Beast's Forest, 1200.**

Another earth beast came crumbling down. A total of twenty-seven had been defeated by now.

And they were nowhere close to the campsite.

By now the less resilient of Class 1-A were beginning to become tired, this would slog the pace for the entire group.

"We should stop and rest." Machibuse suggested as the last enemy in their immediate vicinity fell.

"We have no time to stop! If we do…" Midoriya responded as the group now took the moment to catch their breaths.

"We have only thirty minutes remaining, and we are less than halfway done with our mission. The timeline we were given was never to be met in the first place." Machibuse informed as he pointed towards the sun high into the sky.

"What!?" Mineta cried out

"You kidding me, right?" Ojiro asked away, his tail lowering in dismay.

"There is no point in stopping if we don't hide. Asui-san, Sero-san and Tokoyami-san, we need everyone, up in the trees. Momo, get something explosive to go off in a few minutes, away from us. This will get the enemies out of our backs for a moment." Machibuse spoke beginning the climb.

"Pinprick, this is no time for your shit." Bakugo spat.

"I have noticed that you have gone over the tree line a couple times already to check on our progress. You know how far we are… Nice of you to not speak about it to not discourage the group, but we already failed the deadline. Let's get an hour of rest, our pace has been slowing down too much." Machibuse countered, shoulder's slumping as he admitted the scenario.

Bakugo just looked away, grinding his teeth.

His classmates reluctantly agreed.

"You sure about this, Machibuse-kun?" Iida asked with concern as he braced himself against the foliage.

Underneath them many of the earth beasts were searching for the students.

"The three-hour deadline was likely just arbitrary. Hagakure-san and I would likely be the only ones capable of meeting it because we can avoid fighting those things altogether without slowing down, but this is a team effort so we either all succeed or all fail." Machibuse explained his reasoning.

"Hurray for us then." Hagakure sighed, her voice pure sarcasm.

"Permission to break protocol?" Machibuse asked. No one spoke against that.

"I actually considered just sneaking back into the bus while you guys were pushed down the cliff, but I believe that Aisawa-sensei would have not approved of that. And I would not hear the end of it from you guys as well…" he admitted, a nervous smile on his face as he awkwardly reached for the back of his head.

A flat, unamused stare was the only response he received for his classmates.

They were in silence for a moment.

"Sucks we lost lunch tho…" Kaminari lowered his head in defeat.

"Mina-chan, you wouldn't happen to have more of those chocolates with you?" Uraraka asked with faint hope in her tone.

"No, I left it all at the bus…" Ashido grumbled in defeat.

Machibuse blushed very slightly as he remembered the chocolates and got up.

"Give me a moment…" he excused himself before leaping towards a nearby tree and vanishing in the greenery.

"This is not going to end well." Shoji spoke with mild concern as he continued to keep track of the enemies bellow.

About thirty minutes later Machibuse returned with something in one of his hands. A piece of wood about the size of a skateboard.

On it there were a healthy amount of grubs and maggots of various sizes.

He had made them a plate of nature's finest catch.

"We can eat them raw, but they taste better if we get them to roast for a bit." Machibuse informed with unnerving serenity in his voice as he glanced towards Todoroki.

It was very clear that he had done that before. Okinawa felt a little bit closer to hell now.

"Captain, you can't be serious …" Jiro broke the silence, Class 1-A backed away from the offering terrified.

"Doesn't taste nearly as bad as it looks and has a decent amount of protein and fat. It will not get all of us filled up, but it's better than going on an empty stomach." Machibuse responded as he picked up one particularly fat, yellowish grub that squirmed between his fingers.

He was about to do it.

"Hakuba, don't you dare to eat that bug." Yaoyorozu's voice stopped him.

"Why not? This is a survival situation and this is perfectly safe food." he asked, sounding genuinely confused about her complaint.

"I can't believe we are actually having this discussion. Just… don't." Momo pretty much ordered now.

Hakuba stared at the soft squirming bag of nutrients pinched between his digits.

He offered it to Momo.

"Is this about that "Pocky Game" situation? Sorry, I assumed the pocky was an integral part of it."

"Let's get down from this tree first, then I am going to hit you."

-.

 **July 19th, Pussycat's Catnip Inn, 1700.**

"Oh! We got one!" Pixie-Bob called out as a beep came from her headset.

Not a moment later Machibuse came into view, casually marching in double step.

He seemed mostly unfazed by the journey, now running in place with his knees never failing to hit the height of his waist.

"Sensei, Pussycats...young man." Machibuse greeted.

"Not what I expected to see." Mandalay voiced her surprise.

"This one is doesn't run out of steam so easily, has been at the top of the class at every endurance exercise since day one and the gap only got wider once he learned how to break down lactic acid with his Quirk. This kind of exercise is also not new to him… Machibuse, where are the others? I expected you to have arrived much earlier if you were to come alone." Aisawa asked out after the brief explanation.

"They are close, we dispatched from the last remaining enemies little ago. Want me to go back and get them moving, Sensei?" Machibuse offered.

"If you are still good to go then get to the bus and start bringing everyone's bags inside." Aisawa ordered.

"Yes, Sir!" the teen responded, mildly inconvenienced by the added task, but now he finally stopped jogging as he took to unloading the cargo.

"I like this one, Eraser. Can't complain about a man with endless stamina… Just a few more years and…" Pixie-Bob licked her lips.

"I'm afraid you are not the first in line." Aisawa sighed as he watched his student coming back and forth as he moved the bags.

Some twenty minutes later the remainder of Class 1-A arrived at camp, their situation much worse than Machibuse's.

""Only three hours." Yeah, right…" Sero voiced his complains about the deadline.

"So hungry. Gonna die…" Kirishima cried out as he slumped down to a sitting position.

"Apparently three hours is their average time." Machibuse informed as he carried his classmates' bags two by two towards the inside of the building.

"All that just to rub on our faces that they are better than us…" Tokoyami was doing his best not to show exhaustion, but it clearly seeped into his voice.

"Honestly we expected you to take longer. You didn't even have as hard of a time beating my earth beasts as I thought you would. Not bad… specially you four. You act without hesitation, past experiences perhaps?" Pixie-Bob commented, one clawed finger pointing towards Midoriya, Todoroki, Bakugo and Iida.

"I CALL DIBS, I AM GOING TO HAVE FUN IN THREE YEARS!" she added impulsively as she dashed towards the four and started wooing them.

" _Okay then…"_ Hakuba mused as he watched the scene, apparently Momo had saved him from Pixie-Bob.

"Mandalay… was she always like that?" Aisawa questioned as he watched his students trying to defend themselves.

"She is getting a little desperate, you know, she is about the age for…" Mandalay explained.

"Speaking about suitable age…!" Midoriya began but was quickly interrupted as Pixie-Bob closed her glove around his face once more.

"What about age?" the blonde threatened.

"I-It has been bothering me for a while… Whose child is that?" Midoriya responded, his voice heavily muffled by the paw on his face as he pointed towards the kid that accompanied the Pussycats.

Machibuse now stopped for a moment before heading inside once more to unload more bags. That answer interested him as he was curious about the child since he arrived.

"Oh, he's actually my nephew. Kota! Come over and say hello, you will be spending a week with these guys after all…" Mandalay explained, calling the child to come closer.

Doubts now cleared, Machibuse just proceeded inside to continue his task.

By the time Machibuse returned outside to pick another batch he found out that there had been some kind of commotion.

From what Iida's shouting gave away the kid had just punched Midoriya in the balls for some reason. Apparently the biggest threat in that forest was much smaller than the earth beasts commanded by Pixie-Bob.

"Enough. Get your stuff to your rooms. After that we will have dinner in the cafeteria, then you guys bath and go to sleep. We start for real tomorrow." Aisawa called his students.

Today's mission had been completed.

-.

 **July 19th, Pussycat's Catnip Inn, Baths, 2000.**

Hakuba wasn't all that tired, mostly he was hungry because he had been barred from snacking on the bugs earlier on. But now he had eaten real food, delicious and amazing food straight from a clay pot he could feel his body asking for a timeout.

And the open-air bath couldn't have come in a more opportune moment.

Almost every one of the boys was already soaking in the warm water when he arrived, and he gladly joined in.

"Now we are only missing Shoji out here." Kirishima pointed out as Machibuse pressed his back against the stone and allowed the warm water to do it's magic.

"Shoji-san is not joining us." Machibuse informed as he leaned his head back and placed a towel over his eyes. Wouldn't take long for him to fall asleep in there, but he couldn't really care much at this point. His Chelicerae lazily poked out as he stretched, but he knew Koda wasn't comfortable with that, so he quickly retracted his weapons.

"Huh? Why?" Sero asked.

"He wears a mask for a reason." Machibuse responded.

The boys fell silent for a moment.

"No, I don't know what he hides under that mask. Never asked about it." Machibuse responded the unspoken question.

"Aren't you curious?" Kaminari asked, his head barely poking out of the water.

"We don't ask many questions to each other, suppose that is why we get along." Machibuse chuckled as response.

Fortunately the boys understood that it wasn't a matter to be discussed and soon they resumed their business. Some splashed water against one another, some relaxing, others even took to diving and competing to see who could hold their breaths for longer.

Not even fifteen minutes later the sound of Machibuse snoring lightly caused them all to stop and laugh. Normally he was a light sleeper, but he was with his friends, so he allowed himself to just let go.

"How the hell can he sleep in here?" Sero asked out loud as he searched for something to poke Machibuse with.

"Must be the warm water, from what I know he only takes really cold baths." Midoriya pondered.

"Why do you know that?" Kaminari asked confusedly.

"You never had to take the shower next to his in the locker rooms? Lucky you." Ojiro weighted in. Back at the U.A. locker rooms the showers were divided, but the walls only went from ankle up as to allow the water to drain faster.

"Is it that bad?" Kaminari was now mildly worried, this was something bound to happen anytime soon.

"He asked me to freeze the showerhead, more than once actually." Todoroki told his classmates as he eyed how Machibuse had anchored himself into the stone using the Chelicerae on his back.

"So… he is completely out?" Mineta asked, calmly getting out of the water.

"Yeah… oi, pass me that bucket, let me see if we can stack things on top of his head!" Sero had a shit-eating grin on his face as he quickly begun looking around for junk they could use.

"Yes yes, you do that…" Mineta mumbled as he approached the wall that divided the baths, on the other side was his prize. The sentinel had fallen asleep on his watch.

That was going to be some real fun.

"Mineta-kun, what are you doing?" Midoriya asked cautiously as he handed Sero another bucket. The first one fitted around Machibuse's head very nicely, so now their tower could be built on a stable foundation.

That build was going to be amazing, it was the first time since the final exams that Midoriya and Bakugo had joined forces like this. For the former it was just innocent fun, and for the latter it was an amazing opportunity to get his revenge for the I-Island defeat.

Right on cue the girls' voices echoed from the other side of the wall.

"See, there they are… Nowadays for them to not stagger bathing times for men and women is an accident… Yes, we might another accident waiting to happen." Mineta's voice was as smooth as possible as he wholeheartedly took in the sounds coming from the other side of the way. He could hear the girls talking, about size, complaining about buoyancy… all that he could ever dream was just a moment away.

"Don't tell me you are…" Kaminari eagerly pushed forth. Most of the boys now turning red as they realized just what was behind that wall.

"Mineta-kun! Stop it! What you are doing is demeaning for both you and the girls! It is shameful behavior!" Iida hastily made his way across the water, his words falling on deaf ears as Mineta could only focus on what was on the other side.

Mineta turned to face Iida, his face showing clearly how little he cared.

"You are too fussy." he stated plainly before reaching for his scalp.

"Walls… ARE MEANT TO BE CLIMBED!" Mineta boldly claimed.

Hakuba's eyes shot open the instant the first Pop-Off ball touched the wall. He could physically feel that Momo was in danger at that precise moment.

He dashed forward, his vision still blocked by some wooden barrier. An avalanche of buckets, towels and bars of soap fell upon his back and shoulders, causing him to drop face first into the warm water.

By the time Machibuse got back up his blurred vision could barely tell that Mineta was about to reach the top of the wall. The final exams would've been a breeze if the damn creep had been that devoted.

He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and dashed in after the pervert. He would not make it in time.

"Before learning to be a hero, try learning to be a human." Kota, the kid from earlier appeared on top of the wall, pushing Mineta away with a stern look on his face.

"You damn brat!" Mineta cursed as he fell back down.

Machibuse was about halfway up the wall when that happened and could've caught him.

But he didn't.

"My gratitude, Kota-san." Machibuse gave a firm nod and leapt back down.

Just as he did so Ashido's voice came from the other side of the wall and that caused Kota to turn.

The kid was now falling alongside him.

Machibuse twisted in midair, trying to reach, but he had jumped in one direction and Kota had fallen in another.

Luckily enough Midoriya had covered for him.

Now it was just a matter of punishing Mineta properly.

-.

 **July 19th, Pussycat's Catnip Inn, Common Room, 2140.**

The Kota situation aside, it had been a good night.

Mineta had been discreetly given something to help him sleep, and no one noticed when Machibuse climbed out the window to leave his perverted classmate outside, neatly tucked away just by the firewood.

All that was left was for them to enjoy the last few minutes of that day, soon enough their teacher would be ushering them to their rooms. Tomorrow things would get started early.

Machibuse had just finished showing Jiro a few tricks on the shamisen and left her to practice. He was a decent musician, but that girls was on a league of her own.

He just joined in a bigger group, Ashido, Kaminari, Hagakure, Sero and Asui.

"Of course there is." Asui responded with a distinct lack of enthusiasm.

"Who it is!?" Ashido asked, her eyes beaming with joy.

"Oh you asked for a yes or no. Not giving you any names." Asui responded teasingly causing Ashido to moan in protest.

The five now noticed that someone else had approached.

"Machibuse! Truth or Dare!?" Hagakure asked away, immediately including him into the game.

"Excuse me?" Machibuse responded.

"What? Never heard of this one as well?" Sero jabbed at him.

"Negative, I do understand the rules, just don't consider it appropriate for me to play." Machibuse responded.

"Why not?" Kaminari asked while he got up and gently, but firmly, guided Machibuse towards a vacant seat with Ashido's help.

"It makes very little sense for me to play. I carry classified military information, so by default I am only allowed to pick dare." Machibuse responded, not bothering resisting.

"That just makes it even better! Whose turn it is!?" Ashido was clearly plotting something.

"Mine -gero" Asui responded.

There was a brief silence.

"Hakuba-chan. Truth or Dare?" she asked.

"Dare." Machibuse responded firmly.

"Call me "Tsu-chan"." Asui demanded.

Machibuse just stared at her inexpressively for a moment.

He rolled his eyes.

"What a very peculiar request, Tsu-chan." Hakuba spoke tiredly.

The other four students just bursted in laughter.

"Was it that hard?" the frog girl asked.

"That was very underhanded of you, my congratulations. Bakugo-san is the next on your hitlist?" Machibuse asked in return.

Tsu-chan just shrugged and the game proceeded.

A few more rounds went by, some very peculiar scenarios popped by such as when Sero revealed that when he was a kid he had taped himself inside his room and had to be rescued… three times, or when Kaminari was challenged to touch the scar in Machibuse's abdomen to see how "cool" Stain was. Machibuse also had finally cleared his doubts about Hagakure's Quirk: Yes, she was born invisible, and yes, her mother was invisible as well. Labor had been absurdly complex. He didn't know exactly why he was still roped into that silly game, but Machibuse was at least having some fun.

Then it happened.

Ashido finally got her shot at daring Machibuse to do something. She immediately rushed back into the girls' room and came back with a mischievous grin and a box in her hand.

"Machibuse… Truth or Dare?" she asked away knowingly.

"…Dare." he sighed.

Ashido just handed him the box of pocky chocolates and smiled.

"Yaomomo is back on our room."

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Ashido pretty much just writes herself.**_

 _ **Hakuba is definitely not a picky eater if the situation requires.**_

 _ **And yes, it's all the way downhill from here in this arc, so let's just enjoy the happy moments in life.**_

 _ **Till next time!**_


	31. Wild, Wild Training Camp II

**Eight Years Ago, October 17th, Okinawa Prefecture, Naha, Machibuse Residence, 0234.**

 _The modest house owned by the Machibuse family was mostly dark and silent by now._

 _Mostly._

" _Papa…" Hakuba spoke tiredly as he slid open the door that led to the cramped workshop where his father normally dwelled in. Books on all aspects of chemistry, anatomy and biology filled one of the walls from top to bottom and many more rested atop the large glass table that stretched from the opposite side of the room to the adjacent wall, where it connected to another table, this one made of polished aluminum and sporting a large sink. All over the tables also were vials and tubes of glass filled with colorful liquids, neatly organized in their little metallic racks while a cup of some kind was left stirring inside a machine by the sink._

 _The least lab-like thing in the small room was the shamisen Hakuba had only seen his father playing a handful of times, the last of which had been well over a year ago._

 _Resting in the center of the glass table was a microscope and sitting in front of it was Machibuse Hakaku; eyes weary of exhaustion as he held some kind of injector against his forearm._

" _Hey there young man… what are you doing awake?" Hakaku asked worriedly as he discarded the now empty syringe and turned towards his son, inviting him into his small workshop._

 _Hakuba timidly entered the room and closed the door behind him, the cold stainless-steel floor very uncomfortable under his bare feet. His father was quick to pick him up and prop the child on his lap._

" _There is a monster in my room…" the child responded weakly, tiny hands griping onto his father's clothes as he curled up._

" _Must be something scary." Hakaku joked tenderly, one arm wrapping around his son protectively while he reached for an empty glass._

" _Go sleep in my room. As soon as I will finish up here I will go check on yours." he added, gently lowering the child back down._

 _Hakuba just watched his father for a moment as the man brought the glass to his mouth and quickly filled it up with some thin liquid he created with his Quirk, which his father then proceeded to drip into a glass plate._

" _Mama will get sad if you don't sleep…" Hakuba spoke timidly, slowly rubbing his eyes as his father loaded the sample underneath the microscope's lens._

 _Hakaku stopped for a moment. Even under his wife's watchful eye Hakaku had somewhat reverted to his usual overworking self from time to time._

 _He watched in silence as his son waddled out of the workshop._

 _Hakuba could only fight to stay awake while waiting for his father for so long after huddling up in the empty bed that belonged to his parents, his mother waking up slightly confused as to why he was there, but she just pulled him closer and drifted back to sleep… Hakuba had almost slipped back into slumber when the mattress sunk slightly as his father joined them, the warm feeling of being between the two people that he loved the most quickly caused the child to fall into peaceful sleep._

 _Whatever monster had woken him up would never come with his parents there._

 _He felt safe._

-.

 **Current day, July 20th, Pussycat's Catnip Inn, 0415.**

Hakuba was no longer in his house when he woke up. Somehow he was still neatly tucked away in the futon he was provided while most if not all of the boys that shared that large room with him were sprawled all over the tatami floor in very peculiar positions. He had the feeling that this was going to be the norm over the week.

At least he was spared the indignity for this one night.

Hakuba only realized that he had been using Ojiro's tail as a pillow when he sat up. At least he had not drooled all over the appendage.

He quietly got up, trying to not awake everyone and made way towards the showers. Cold water would get him going and the solitude would allow him to dwell for a moment on the trip down memory lane his dreamscape provided.

As he stepped into the enclosed space of the wooden shower box he couldn't help but tremble. Hakuba had promised not to cry, but nothing stopped him from reaching quickly for the registry. The showerhead would provide the water for his eyes.

He missed his father.

He missed his mother.

He missed not being scared.

The sound of the bathroom door opening caused him immediately to tense and push everything back inside once more.

"Oho? Another one moves during the dark hours." Tokoyami's mildly dramatic speech gave away his identity as he entered the boy's bathroom and noticed that he was not alone.

Machibuse cleared his throat as to bring his voice back to normal.

"Tokoyami-san? Did I wake you up?" Machibuse asked, hastily finishing his bath.

"Hardly. I'm one used to be up before sunrise." Tokoyami responded, calmly performing the usual morning rites of brushing tooth and such.

Machibuse turned off the registry, soon after he had pated himself dry with a towel and stepped outside the shower to get dressed for the day.

Tokoyami couldn't help but notice how his usually inexpressive classmate looked aloof, eyes lost in the distance. The bird-headed teen eyed the tattoo curiously once more.

"And what about you? This seems early even for the military." he asked, hints of concern in his voice.

"My dreams betray me sometimes." Machibuse admitted, taking to spring the weapons in his back forcefully for a moment before finishing dressing up in his PE clothes.

"Suppose I am no strange to that sensation. Trust me, this one would give me plenty of trouble during my sleep… still gives." Tokoyami offered, his thumb pointing casually to the shadow beast that surged from his stomach.

"Hey! What was that for!?" Dark Shadow asked indignantly.

"You rampaged through my room, many times in fact. I slept years with the lights turned on just to keep you in check." Tokoyami responded flatly.

Dark Shadow rose a finger in objection, but couldn't come up with a retort, deciding to just return inside his "host" instead.

Machibuse just watched the exchange with curiosity, sharing a body with another entity was likely a very strange thing.

He got up to leave.

"Machibuse-san." Tokoyami called as the still rather out of character teen reached for the door.

Machibuse turned to give full attention.

"Pardon me if I am being intrusive, but I have been meaning to ask… Back when you invited me and the others to your house I couldn't help but notice the portrait by the door, and when you assaulted Todoroki during the Sports Festival you spoke about ghosts. You hide much more than the meaning behind that sixteen tattooed on your shoulder, don't you?" Tokoyami asked, carefully choosing every word.

"Suppose I have grown into a rather tragic character, haven't I?" Machibuse allowed himself to chuckle.

"Just know that you don't need to conform to it. Fate sometimes is to be changed." Tokoyami offered with a short nod.

Tokoyami wasn't exactly someone he expected to receive motivation from, so Machibuse just stared at his friend for a moment. Before he could respond to that however the door now behind him opened slowly.

Mineta weakly walked in, covered in dirt and peppered with small bits of wood.

"Found him outside by the ovens. Any of you can come up with an explanation?" Aisawa asked as he watched the diminutive student stumbling into the showers.

"Mineta-san definitely wasn't with us when we went to sleep." Tokoyami informed surprised by this development.

"And I can confirm that he wasn't with the girls by the time they went to bed as well. Left my shamisen with Jiro-san and stopped by their room to pick it up before heading to ours. If he was there then he was very well hidden." Machibuse added, his eyes directed towards Mineta more as an excuse as to not face Aisawa directly while speaking.

"You likely already know, but this is the second time something like this happens with him. Now at least we can narrow down the list of suspects to the people present here." Aisawa took a long breath after speaking.

"We will get started in an hour. Wake up the others and head outside." Aisawa ordered, deciding to stay in the bathroom to keep an eye out for Mineta… just in case.

"Yes, Sir!" both students spoke in unison and took their leave.

Soon they were far away from the bathroom, Tokoyami heading to the boys' room and Machibuse heading towards the girls'.

"Back when we just had returned from our work under the pros… Mineta was caught peeking and Yaoyorozu asked you to do something. And now once more judgement was passed upon him after he gave into the sin of lust. These two incidents with him being found sleeping in the open are your work, aren't they?" Tokoyami asked after making sure that Aisawa had no way to hear this vital piece of information.

"It might be just as you said, Tokoyami-san. I may hide much more than just the meaning behind the tattoo."

-.

 **July 20th, Pussycat's Catnip Inn, 0530.**

The twenty students of Class 1-A were finally all up and almost all were awake. Not even the dutiful Yaoyorozu was fully recovered from the early call, a soft yawn escaping her lips as she placed a hand over her mouth to be as discreet as possible.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen." Aisawa greeted the students, receiving just about a grunt as a reply from most of the class.

"Today we begin the training camp to increase your strength in earnest. The goal of this training camp is to increase everyone's strength and with that, for everyone to obtain their provisional licenses. It is to prepared you all to face the hostilities that are becoming more real by the minute. Proceed carefully…" Aisawa explained fishing something from his pocket and tossing it towards Bakugo.

"Bakugo, try throwing that." the teacher told.

"This is from the fitness test…" Bakugo spoke as he studied the familiar ball he was given.

"Your previous record, from when you started school, was 705.2 meters. Let's see how much you have improved." Aisawa stated as Bakugo walked away from the group under the cheering from some of his now very awake classmates.

Bakugo winded up his throw…

"GO TO HELL!" he shouted as once again that ball was blasted into the distance.

" _Déjà vu."_ Machibuse thought. A lot had happened over the last months, yet Bakugo's attitude never got any better.

"709.6." Aisawa informed as he turned the screen with the results towards the students. Apparently Bakugo's attitude wasn't the only thing that didn't improved much and that had everyone taken aback in surprise.

"You all have been through various experiences since school started, and all of you have improved. But that improvement has been mostly at the mental and technical levels, with some increase in stamina. As you have just seen, your Quirks have not improved much… That's why starting today we will be working on improving your Quirks." Aisawa explained.

Machibuse had heard before that, akin to how broken bones and torn muscle mended themselves to be stronger, Quirks were just like any other part of the human body, only constant, limit-breaking exercise would build up their strength.

Their homeroom teacher turned to face his students with a large grin plastered in his face. This was a very, very bad sign of what was about to come.

"It will be so hard that you will feel like dying… but try to actually not die!"

-.

 **July 20th, Pussycat's Territory, U.A. Summer Training Camp, 0700.**

"AAAAAAH DAMN IT!"

For once, Machibuse wanted to join in on Bakugo's swearing. Too bad he couldn't as his throat was way too dry for him to even attempt something like that. He couldn't believe that he was contemplating the idea of missing the drills from the Military Academy's summer camp.

Both Machibuse and Yaoyorozu were told to sit down at the picnic table, and under other circumstances, they would've done so hoping that they were about to spend some quality time together… But no; Hope in reality is the worst of all evils because it prolongs the torments of man.

For the nth time that morning Machibuse slammed one of his hands against the jerrycan he was given to fill with chemicals, the Chelicerae on his palms barely being able to puncture the thin steel walls of the container.

Quickly unloading his payload he pulled his hand back and reached for his share of the edibles on the table. Differently from Momo, who was given a stack of boxes filled with sweets that she was supposed to eat while using her Creation, Hakuba's share was a plate of assorted pills straight from the drugstore: Vitamin C, aspirin, ibuprofen, paracetamol, etc.. There was a bit of everything in that plate. Hakuba was pretty sure that the blue ones were Viagra based on the compounds he identified… good thing he was immune to chemicals that didn't carried his biosignature, otherwise that picnic would get very awkward very fast.

His task was very simple: Just ingest an obnoxious amount of mixed chemicals and synthesize them individually with his Quirk as fast as possible as to cut down on the amount of time he needed to switch between different payloads.

Machibuse's Chelicerae were getting sturdier while he also became faster and more precise at synthesizing his own chemicals.

But that wasn't enough apparently.

No.

Swallowing the pills dry would not be ideal, so he was provided with plenty of water to down the medicine.

Plenty of salt water that is.

Aisawa decided that it would be more efficient to also train his student to endure dehydration in one go.

That was inhuman… Highly efficient as a training method, yes, but just plain fucking inhuman. And Class 1-A still had another one hundred and eighty minutes of Quirk training hell ahead of them their first scheduled break.

By now Machibuse could see Class 1-B arriving at the training site, their conversation interrupted by the sounds of screams, cries, impacts and explosions. He eyed them with envy as apparently Vlad King had allowed them to at least have a decent breakfast or an extra hour of sleep.

Learning that Monoma would actually have to do rounds copying Quirks and joining into the designed training exercises of multiple people as a way of getting his body used to a little of everything made Machibuse at least feel a little less miserable about his task.

If anything, hell got a little cozier now with all the forty students training.

-.

 **July 20th, Pussycat's Territory, U.A. Summer Training Camp, 0900.**

"Everyone! Have a sixty-minute break! Make it count because after that we are only having a break for lunch and then it's non-stop until the sun goes down!" Aisawa called out from the spot he was using as a vantage point to keep an eye out for any potential slackers.

A mildly desperate "Yessir!" echoed through the training area as people just dropped to the ground left right and centre. Machibuse simply feel backwards as his voice failed him during the response he was supposed to give to his teacher. He would've gone ahead and drank the water Bakugo had been put to train on if the muscular Pussycat hadn't been kind enough to bring him a literal gallon of fresh, cool water.

Hakuba wasn't even drinking the water properly at first, he just tore the cap open with his still numb hands and doused himself with it without even getting up from the ground, his mouth wide open simply taking whatever fell into it.

After a few seconds of that impromptu bath he then sat and began drinking normally.

"At least get back here." Momo chuckled as she was handed a less voluminous bottle of water.

There was a clanking sound when Hakuba moved his feet, he had the jerrycan affixed to the Chelicerae on his left foot and the act of retracting the weapons caused the now hole-littered container to hit the ground.

"Not exactly how I pictured our first picnic." Hakuba grunted as he sat back down into the wooden bench, placing the now half-empty gallon on the table.

"Well, there is nothing stopping us from having a proper one when we get back… Any suggestions of a location?" Momo asked, doing one final push with her Creation to provide Hakuba with a towel.

"I admit that I mistook your family's estate for a park at first, so at least we have that option…" Hakuba suggested as he reached for the cloth.

Momo gently pushed his hand away and moved closer.

Hakuba couldn't help but to blush as she tenderly began wiping his hair dry. It was such a small gesture of affection and care, but at the same time it was almost overwhelming to him.

He had to stop himself from saying the three words that for so long he had built up courage to speak. They were in the middle in nowhere on what was basically a boot camp for their Quirks, it wasn't an appropriate place for those words.

Hakuba still felt unworthy of having someone like Momo, she was such a wonderful person and he was but a miserable little pile of secrets. It was his obligation to make his confession to her something perfect, she deserved nothing short of that.

An idea then crossed his mind.

"Actually… I know a place." Hakuba spoke, causing Momo to stop her motions for a moment.

"There might be some talk needed on my part, but if it is just you and me I do not think that Kamihara-san would be against it." he continued.

"Edgeshot?" Momo asked confusedly.

"Affirmative. There is a garden at his agency's rooftop, likely the most beautiful place I have been in Tokyo. Although if we do manage to get there you will not have the same luxury I did, happened to go there during cherry blossom season." Hakuba explained. Cherry blossoms or not, Kamihara's private garden was just about the perfect place.

"Hmm, can't say it doesn't sound interesting…" Momo agreed, shrugging her shoulders lightly before resuming her work on his hair.

"I will give him a call once we get back then." Hakuba concluded, enjoying that surprisingly intimate moment the best he could.

"You actually have Japan's top five's number." Momo concluded with mild amusement in her voice. Her workplace experience and his were really worlds apart.

"We get along well. Shinjuku is a large part of his patrol zone, so he actually stops by my apartment every once in a while to eat. You two didn't run into each other while you were tutoring me because you usually left to your house at around 1830 and Edgeshot stops by only around 2000… Shoji-san actually happened to meet him by chance; let's just say he was very surprised when he walked out of the bathroom to find Edgeshot casually making his way out of my kitchen." Hakuba responded with clear amusement.

Momo could stifle a laugh at the mental image of their towering classmate in shock.

"So, once we get back…?" she asked, now running her fingers through his hair to at least try to comb it down a little. It was still a little wet, but good enough.

Hakuba gave a calm nod, not bothering with keeping up his façade as she caressed him. Just a few more days, then he would finally tell Momo his feelings.

-.

 **July 20th, Pussycat's Catnip Inn, 1745.**

The walk back to the camp was grueling to say the least, and there were four more days of that hell.

The forty students were pretty much dead on their feet as two of the Pussycats spoke about cat food. Machibuse was barely following what they said, he just wanted another gallon of water.

That was when Iida began muttering something about rescuing someone and the possibility that the Pussycats were talking about more training caused Machibuse to return to his senses.

"Let's make the most delicious curry in the world, everyone!" the class president shouted with determination unfitting of his current situation.

The response he received was anything but enthusiastic.

But that was only because Machibuse was too busy realizing that the table in front of him was loaded with ingredients for his favorite food to respond.

"Machibuse-san! I believe it is in everyone's best interest to have you in charge for today, please take the lead!" Iida turned towards the resident curry enthusiast.

This was going to be glorious.

The students were allowed a few minutes to get changed out of their PE uniforms and by the time the girls returned Machibuse had most of the boys from both classes in rank and file and had begun giving each of them a task. He was told to prepare the most delicious curry in the world, and he would do his best to ensure that demand was met with flying colors.

Soon enough the first few fires were being lit up and the ingredients were starting to be prepared.

The once white, now pink tank top did very little to subdue the military in Machibuse's DNA, which came to light very quickly.

"YOU TWO! STOP SLACKING OR I AM USING BOTH OF YOU AS CUTTING BOARDS FOR THOSE POTATOES!"

"YES, CAPTAIN!"

"Is he… always like this?" Kendo asked weakly as she watched how Machibuse basically turned into a drill instructor, currently bellowing orders to Kirishima and Tetsutetsu.

"Hakuba is very serious about food, yes." Yaoyorozu responded, her expression flat as her eyes followed the appointed chef for the day.

"But isn't that a little, you know, too much?" Tokage now joined in the conversation, resuming with the menial task that remained for the girls to do, cleaning the plates and setting the tables.

"MONOMA! THOSE BOXES ARE NOT GOING TO MOVE BY THEMSELVES! IF YOU NEED ANY HELP WITH THAT THEN GO COPY SHOJI'S AND BE YOUR OWN BACK UP!" Machibuse's voice once more filled the air.

"Y-yes… captain." Monoma responded meekly as he walked hurriedly towards Shoji, who was busy with splitting wood.

"Ok, forget what I just said. This is awesome." Tokage snickered.

"Hakuba had his fill of bad food because people would be lazy about preparing it. If anything, rest assured that we are going to eat well tonight." Yaoyorozu sighed, trying her best to defend her significant other.

"MINETA! ON YOUR FEET! I AM NOT POSITIVE THAT GRAPE GOES WELL INTO CURRY SAUCE, BUT YOU WILL END UP INSIDE A POT IF YOU DON'T PULL YOUR WEIGHT!"

Being in love was hard sometimes.

-.

 **July 20th, Pussycat's Catnip Inn, 1945.**

"Thanks for the food!"

"I don't know if its because we were worked to the bone to make this, but this is the best curry I ate in years!" Kirishima somehow spoke as he gobbled down a copious amount of food at once.

"The hell did you do, Machibuse!?" Sero followed in.

"You were the ones to cook this. I just instructed you guys on how to do it." Machibuse responded, now back to his standard tone as he ate at a more modest pace.

"Yaomomo, you eat a lot, huh?" Ashido asked surprised by how her friend was just about finishing her second bowl without slowing down.

"You have no idea how much her appetite costed me on our first date… OW!" Machibuse commented, the sound of Yaoyorozu knuckles casually rocking against the back of his head punctuating his sentence.

"Yes. My Quirk turn lipids into various atoms to create things, so the more I eat the, more I can make." Yaoyorozu explained, her face twitching slightly as she pulled her hand back.

"It's like poo." Sero observed innocently, leaving Machibuse hard-pressed to keep his poker face as Jiro immediately punched Sero across the face demanding an apology for the now dejected Yaoyorozu. Machibuse knew very well that if he dared to express any reaction to that comment he would not get off the hook with just a single punch.

He couldn't help but shift his attention away, happening to lay eyes on Midoriya, who worriedly watched Kota leaving for the forest.

Didn't took long for Midoriya to pick up a plate for the kid and follow his footsteps. Being assaulted in the gonads apparently didn't stopped him from worrying about the shut-in minor.

Machibuse could clearly tell why Kota was like that, he had been like that once... Didn't take much for an orphan to identify another.

Maybe it would be a good idea to try speaking with him later.

-.

 **July 21th, Pussycat's Territory, U.A. Summer Training Camp, 2100.**

The third day of the training camp had been uneventful up until this point, basically it had been a rehash of the previous day of Quirk enhancing hell. But instead of being dismissed after bath like on the previous days both classes had been brought to the forest once more. The Pussycats had prepared some kind of game for them to play.

A test of courage, Class A versus Class B.

"Now that we have filled our bellies and washed the dishes! Next is…" Pixie-Bob began with a great deal of energy on her voice.

"…IT'S TIME FOR THE TEST OF COURAGE!" Ashido finished the sentence for her with even more gusto as Sero, Kirishima and Kaminari joined in the hype train.

"Before that, it pains me to say this, but the extra lessons will be having class with me now." Aisawa came in, immediately dousing their excitement.

"YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME!" Ashido protested loudly, her eyes about to bulge out of her skull.

"Sorry. Your training today wasn't good enough, so I have to use this time." the teacher informed, quickly capturing the four with his scarf.

The other sixteen members of Class 1-A were just left to watch as their four most eager classmates were dragged away begging for mercy.

Aisawa was having none of that.

After a moment to let the shock die down the Pussycats resumed with the explanation.

"Okay, so Class B will be the first to be the scarers. Class A will leave in pairs every three minutes, there are tags with your names written on them in the middle of the route, bring those back with you." Mandalay explained the game's objective.

"Revelry in the dark…" Tokoyami muttered, causing Uraraka to give him a weird look.

"Those being the scarers aren't allowed to make direct contact. Show us how scary you can be with your Quirks!" Mandalay concluded her explanation.

"The class that makes the most people piss their pants with creativity and imagination wins!" Tiger jumped in, his choice in words leaving a good number of the students (and Mandalay) very uncomfortable.

"I see, they are trying to make us refine our ideas by making us compete against one another, giving us more options for our Quirks in the process! As expected from U.A.!" Iida spoke with enthusiasm unfitting of him, somehow he was taking this as training.

"Now! You will draw lots to determine your partners!" Pixie-Bob came back with a handful of ribbons of paper with numbers inscribed on them.

"Number eight." Machibuse spoke out loud as he searched for his partner.

"Oh, Machibuse-san!" Midoriya approached, holding a piece of paper with the same number.

"Seems like we will be the last ones to go." Machibuse greeted with a short nod. Midoriya was a suitable enough partner for this game.

Other people weren't as happy.

"Hey, Tail! Switch with me!" Bakugo's voice was pure anger as he reached for the first person next to him. Apparently he wasn't thrilled about doing the lap with Todoroki as a partner.

In Machibuse's mind Bakugo would complain about whoever he was paired with, just happened that it was the worst possible scenario besides a Bakugo-Midoriya duo.

"Aoyama…" Mineta's voice came from somewhere.

"Please, switch with me!" he demanded, walking slowly towards a very much creeped out Momo. But to his merit Aoyama stood his ground between the pervert and the one he wanted the most.

"Midoriya-san excuse me for a second." Machibuse bowed lightly as he made his way towards Mineta silently.

"Mineta-san…" he called out, placing a friendly hand on his diminutive classmate's shoulder as he crouched behind him.

At first Mineta froze, but the friendly approach was enough for him to not be too alarmed as Machibuse called him closer to whisper in his ear.

"Aisawa-sensei found you sleeping outside yesterday, did he not? Now play nice or you might end up somewhere he won't have such an easy time… this is a big forest, isn't it?" Machibuse threatened with a playful tone before patting Mineta in the back lightly and going back to Midoriya.

The scare game had already begun for the small pervert as he now kept a safe distance from the classmate he viewed as a closeted psychopath.

Shoji and Tokoyami were the first duo to take the lap and three minutes later they were followed by Todoroki and Bakugo.

"It should be easy enough for us to win if we can keep ourselves from getting too scared out there…" Jiro spoke, clear concern about her own capabilities of not being scared in her semblance.

"Have you come up with a plan already, Lieutenant?" Machibuse asked as he stared into the tree line ahead.

"I don't really need to, we got you as a secret weapon, Captain." Jiro informed, her expression now giving away that Machibuse was missing something obvious.

He just stared blankly at her.

"Hakuba, how many times you got someone scared just by coming close in silence?" Yaoyorozu asked rhetorically.

"Thirty-seven. Albeit only five of them were intentional; I intentionally snuck on you three times, did the same one time to Shinso-san and one time to Aisawa-sensei." Machibuse informed.

"I will put a bell on you one of these days…" Yaoyorozu rolled her eyes.

"Why did you even do that to Aisawa-sensei? Have you lost your mind?" Hagakure asked baffled.

"Something akin to that. Shinso-san brainwashed me into doing it after I decided to scare him… Yes, I was left tied upside down on a telephone pole after that." Machibuse responded, leaving his classmates mildly shocked.

"We just need you stalking everyone when it's our turn to be the scarers. Everything else just falls into place after that." Jiro concluded as Pixie-Bob called both her and Hagakure to the path.

That seemed like a fun way to pass the time.

A few minutes later Uraraka and Asui also were called. It seemed like the lap was longer than expected since Tokoyami and Shoji had not yet returned.

Then a familiar scent assaulted Machibuse's nose.

"Smoke?" Midoriya asked loudly, pointing towards the trees.

"Is something burning? Could there be a fire on the mountain!?" Ojiro begun questioning with a worried voice.

"Why the blue hue then?" Machibuse pointed out.

Something was very wrong.

"Wh-What is this!?" Pixie-Bob was completely taken aback as something lifted her from the ground and pulled her back.

"These pet cats are in the way." a voice came from behind, a large male with very full lips called out, the voice whoever seemed out of place however, as if it was a woman's but very low.

At his or hers side was a lizard-man dressed in what looked like a cheap Hero Killer cosplay, posing dramatically at their grand entrance.

Machibuse felt personally insulted by this one.

Pixie-Bob was unconscious with a clear wound on her head.

"W-why? I thought they made doubly sure… Why are there Villains here!?" Mineta cried out as he backed away slowly.

Mandalay and Tiger both rushed between the two Villains and the students.

This was real.

Hakuba widened his eyes in realization, as he quickly turned towards the path used for the test of courage, the reason as to why people were taking so long now very clear to him.

Every one of his classmates in that forest and the great majority of Class B were in real danger.

Shoji was in danger.

The Lieutenant was in danger.

Machibuse ran into the path, every Chelicerae in his body armed for combat.

He had no time to waste with the cosplayer…

Momo was in danger.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: So, as they say, shit is about to go down. It will be a hell of a night, that much I can promise to you all.**_

 _ **Gotta say I love the sudden turn we have on the Forest Camp arc, but I really wanted to see more of the test of courage.**_

 _ **Until next time and buckle up for the ride!**_


	32. Night of Fire

**July 21th, Pussycat's Territory, U.A. Summer Training Camp, 2115.**

Momo was in danger.

Every fiber in Hakuba's being forced him towards the forest.

By he couldn't move.

"Sorry dear, you are not getting away from me!" the large Villain half laughed as she pointed the clothed object he was carrying towards Machibuse, a blue glow enveloping the teen's body pulled him back.

Machibuse was not only sent flying towards the enemy the same way Pixie-Bob had been because he managed to drop low to the ground and sink the Chelicerae from his palms and feet into the soil. His sneakers now had been riddled with holes, but that was the last thing in his mind right now as he very slowly was dragged back, gouging lines on the dirt with his Quirk.

"How are you doing this evening, U.A. Highschool? We are the League of Villains' Vanguard Action Squad, pleased to meetcha!" the Stain cosplayer introduced as he stepped forward.

"The League of Villains!? What are they doing here!?" Ojiro was the first one to react.

"What do you think? Shall I crush this pretty little head?" the Villain restraining Machibuse pondered loudly as he placed one foot on Pixie-Bob's head.

"As if I'd let you…!" Tiger shouted in response.

"Wait up, Big Sis Magne! Don't be hasty… You too Tiger, calm down will you? Holding power over one's life is everything, but we must temper this power following Stains tenants!" the cosplayer interrupted, stepping in between his partner and Tiger.

"Stain…!" Midoriya muttered in surprise.

"So you are the ones his ideology brought?" Iida demanded a response.

"That's right! I'm… oh lucky me! You with the glasses and the one being dragged. We know about _how_ you two fakes brought about Stain's end in Hosu! Sorry for the late introduction, I'm Spinner, the one who will spin _his_ dream into reality!" the Villain proclaimed as he unraveled the wraps around the weapon on his back, producing a massive construct made of several knives, daggers, kukris, hatchets and many other blades held together by chains and belts.

It didn't matter who they were, their identity weighed little to Machibuse. They needed to be taken down.

He shifted his position slightly as he continued to be pulled, retracting all the Chelicerae not being used as anchors.

There was a quick back and forth between Tiger and Spinner, to which Machibuse paid little attention, then Spinner rushed in.

An opening.

Machibuse retracted his remaining weapons and jumped towards the force that pulled him.

The scaly Villain dodged to the side in surprise, his partner's Quirk gave the teen a lot of extra speed.

Spinner wasn't Hakuba's target however. Despite how much his mere existence was offending, it was the so called "Big Sis Magne" stopping him from going towards Momo.

Machibuse twisted his body as he flew, reaching for the clothed artefact that pulled him like a magnet with one hand to strafe to the side.

Magne barely had time to dive to the side as Machibuse's free hand clawed at her, four Chelicerae almost ripping onto her windpipe before inertia carried the attacker away.

"Oh my, you really are a fiery one!" Magne gave Machibuse a knowing grin as she quickly rolled to her feet.

"Magne! This one is mine! I know just were to cut him up…" Spinner shouted as he dashed towards Machibuse, his eyes locking for a moment on where Stain had impaled his target previously as if he could see through the black Kariyushi shirt sported by the teen.

"Stick to the plan Spinner…!" Magne spat back but her reply was cut short as Tiger assaulted her.

If anything Machibuse's surprise attack had pushed the Villains away from Pixie-Bob, allowing Mandalay and Tiger to act freely.

Machibuse was just waiting for the Villains' attention to slip for long enough for him to strike once more or escape into the forest.

"Machibuse-kun! Come!" Iida demanded as he grasped Machibuse's shoulder firmly, knowing very well what would happen otherwise.

"But…!" Machibuse protested as now Koda joined in the effort of pulling him away from danger.

"Ragdoll can find her! Now let's go!" Iida interrupted as he and Koda pretty much dragged Machibuse away towards the lodge. Machibuse knew he wouldn't be able to simply overpower the two and that even if he did Iida would still cut his escape, so he gritted his teeth and followed and watched as Midoriya took a different path with Mandalay's permission.

Every step pained him tremendously.

By now they had run for about ten minutes.

Machibuse slowed down slightly as they continued, falling to the back of the group alongside Mineta.

"Mineta-san… once you all get to safety please inform Iida-san that I'm deeply sorry for this." Machibuse spoke, keeping his voice low as he gestured towards Iida, who was leading the group.

"Huh?" Mineta turned confused just in time to see Machibuse pivoting sharply on his feet and dashing away into the woods without alerting his other classmates, quickly disappearing from sight.

Going straight through the forest would be a much quicker path and the trees would give him cover, from both his classmates and from any possible villains along the way.

Hakuba had already wasted too much time.

-.

 **July 21th, League of Villains' Hideout, 2135.**

Back somewhere away from prying eyes sat Shigaraki Tomura sat at the bar counter, idly contemplating the photos in his hand as Kurogiri made his way into the bar.

"You think that the Vanguard Action Squad will be able to do it, Shigaraki Tomura?" the man-shaped mist asked, calmly closing the door behind him and locking it shut.

"Yeah… it is still to early for me to play again, the game has changed now." Shigaraki responded, briefly turning to follow his second-in-command with one eye.

"Up until now it has been an RPG… with only halfway decent equips, I went and charged at the final boss at level one. We should've been playing this as a sim: One where I am the player moving my units around to break through the higher ranks. It all begins with setting up cracks into this superpowered society… It doesn't matter whether or not the Vanguard Action Squad succeeds or fails. Just having them make a move **there** will intimidate the heroes." Shigaraki explained his thought process.

"Disposable pawns then…" Kurogiri deduced.

"Don't be stupid! Do I look like such a heartless guy!? Their strength is the real deal, and even if all of them are headed towards different directions they are all reliable comrades." Shigaraki protested indignantly.

There was a moment of silence as Kurogiri moved over to the other side of the counter and begun procuring ingredients for a cocktail.

"Kurogiri, did Master ever gave you the info on this one before? I crossed paths with him on that shopping ward and now I feel like I've missed the hidden side quest." Shigaraki asked mildly annoyed.

"I had my suspicions about that history spun by the Ministry of Defense being just a cover-up to something bigger, but what All for One has told you was also news to me." Kurogiri responded as he finished pouring the ingredients into the steel shaker.

"We are not the only ones being suppressed by this society and it's damned rules… yeah, I hope those guys succeed." Shigaraki concluded, his chapped lips twisting into a large smile as he gave the photos one last look.

Bakugo Katsuki and Machibuse Hakuba, the first bound to the podium of the U.A. Sports Festival and the other registered by a security camera making his way inside the Tartarus Maximum Security Prison.

-.

 **July 21th, Pussycat's Territory, U.A. Summer Training Camp, 2135.**

" _TWO OF THE VILLAIN'S TARGETS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED! MACHIBUSE AND "KACCHAN" ARE BEING TARGETED SPECIFICALLY FOR STILL UNKNONW REASONS! THOSE TWO ARE TO AVOID COMBAT AND NOT MOVE ALONE!"_

"Wonderful."

Going against the last piece of intel provided by Mandalay, Machibuse continued heading alone towards what could only be a combat situation. The scenario had turned much worse than he could've anticipated, he could not give himself the luxury of retreating now.

Some kind of gas had flooded the forest and had only gotten thicker as Machibuse continued in search of his friends. A joke when compared to his grandmother's Miasma but still dangerous, it was simple knockout agent similar to those used in general anesthesia and would only be lethal in high enough doses.

Still, anyone that feel victim to it would be uncapable of escaping and would eventually be killed by either the gas or by asphyxiation, given that the agent was heavier than air and pooled around the floor where the unconscious victim would very likely end up.

Hakuba knew that he would not need to save Momo from that gas, if she could make something capable of withstanding the Miasma then this was trivial for her… but for everyone else in that forest the gas was a deadly threat. Another thing for him to be concerned about as he took a moment to deeply inhale the gas, he would need to synthesize a lot of antidote.

This brief pause allowed Machibuse to give something else thought. And to discard his now ruined footwear.

" _By now it is safe to assume that the League has solid means of gathering intel, the cosplay trash back then said they knew about the truth regarding Stain's defeat after all… not to mention how they knew about the USJ schedule and about the location of this training camp. The incident in Kiyashi could have been a chance meeting but should not be left out of consideration either. Now the question is why am I a target? Do they also know about Tartarus?"_ the teen ran the possibilities on head, even if the League knew about his trip to Tartarus they didn't seem to know what happened in there. Or at least Spinner didn't.

Machibuse resumed running.

" _From what Chizome told me he doesn't see eye to eye with the League. And the conversation between Shigaraki and Deku cements that… it is possible that the League wants me out of the picture because I put their use of the Chizome's ideals at risk… but then why is Bakugo also a target? There is something still amiss here."_ he continued in his mind as his eyes scanned the forest for signals of either the students or the Villains.

A very dire possibility came about, causing Machibuse to clench his fists in tension. Silently he prayed that he had been target because of Stain and nothing more.

Something moved in his direction, still heavily obscured by the trees and gas.

A rampaging mechanical sound approached his location.

Machibuse immediately jumped and reached up into the trees above, the Chelicerae digging into the wood as he pulled himself up and away from the incoming attack.

A fan of old scare movies, Machibuse was no stranger to the idea of people using chainsaws as tools of carnage, but that didn't mean he wasn't surprised about actually having to face an opponent wielding one.

Or four. Nomus were very strange things.

Green skin and sporting some kind of purple helmet that still left its brain exposed. The metal piece imbedded in the monster's mouth likely something to help him breath through the toxic gas.

What made this one very distinguishable were the six extra arms protruding from its back, but instead of hands they ended in various kinds of tools, four had the aforementioned chainsaws and the remaining two were a hammer and a drill.

Quickly jumping back towards the ground to avoid an incoming blade, barely having time to roll back into his feet to dive away from a subsequent attack.

"Suppose there won't be much I can do to get information out of you, correct?" Machibuse asked the monster, not expecting a response other than a flurry of attacks, precisely what he received.

"Hell gotta tell Shoji to get some of these…" the teen's protocol failed him for a moment as he quickly jumped away and rushed back.

Machibuse had no time to waste in a fight that would wield no intel and would've already begun his escape if the situation was different. He would need to deal with this monster simply because otherwise it would resume roaming around looking for things to kill.

Running into the Nomu was actually a stroke of luck, that thing was likely set free to roam after the students knocked out by the gas and it happened to cross paths with the one student immune to said gas. Given that there was no sign of blood on its clothes or weapons it was safe to assume that the Nomu had not found anyone yet.

Machibuse dashed towards a tree and quickly ran upwards before jumping over the Nomu as another chainsaw came swinging as to fell said tree.

A quick twist midair ensured that the drill rising up missed his head.

The thing was strong and was also pretty fast for its size, forcing Machibuse to be on the defensive for a hot minute. Luckily it was also not very smart, so leading it around was easy enough.

 _*BANG*_

The familiar sound of gunfire caused Machibuse to immediately turn his attention towards the source direction.

On the corner of his eye he could see his charging enemy.

That Nomu would need to be disposed of. Immediately.

 _*BANG*_

This was no time to hold back.

Machibuse sidestepped the incoming hammer and quickly spun towards the Nomu, the Chelicerae into one of his palms quickly sprung forth as he reached for the monster's head.

Machibuse yanked. Hard.

A chunk of the exposed brain was ripped out, causing the Nomu to howl through the metal in its mouth.

The tissue quickly dissolved into some kind of mud-like substance in Machibuse's hand and the same stuff now oozed lazily from the wound on the Nomu's head.

This one apparently wasn't equipped with the regeneration Quirk that seemed to go around its kind.

That made things a lot easier.

The Nomu now began rampaging.

It either felt no fear or was too lost in it to do anything else. Machibuse didn't seem to care about either possibility.

The drill was recklessly thrusted forward as two of the chainsaws came from above.

Machibuse kicked the ground, rolling in between the Nomu's legs, reaching for his prey's right heel during the maneuver. The teen didn't know much about the biology of the artificial humans, but if their anatomy had anything in common with a real human then…

 _*SCHH*_

More mud ran down Machibuse's hand as the monster fell to one knee. Ripping out the Nomu's Achilles tendon proved easy enough once the Chelicerae had dug through its skin and muscle.

Yet the Nomu continued fighting, its foot being completely torn under the weight once the monster tried to get back up, causing it to fall once more.

Maybe going for the throat next time would be ideal.

The thing once more tried to get back up while frantically swinging its weapons around. Those arms were becoming a nuisance and the now consistent gunfire on the distance pushed Machibuse more.

The teen jumped and grabbed onto a nearby branch, quickly vanishing from the monsters field of view and into the foliage above.

Somehow the Nomu managed to get back up, leaning heavily on its good leg as it began scanning the area for his opponent.

In an instant Machibuse jumped down, pivoting all his momentum onto one of the Nomu's elbows. The sound of cracking bone was soon followed by a cacophony of flesh being torn as the teen levered the now broken limb against the Nomu's torso.

The whole thing came down into a puddle of mud once the chainsaw reached deep enough.

Machibuse wasn't even certain that he could consider those things to be alive in the first place, but for sure it wasn't now.

No time to think about it.

There was still gunfire coming from the densest part of that gas.

-.

 **July 21th, Pussycat's Territory, U.A. Summer Training Camp, 2145.**

"I will have you make up for ruining our training camp, kid."

"You okay, Tetsutetsu?" Kendo asked as she approached the unconscious pre-teen responsible for the gas attack. That one was going to be out cold for a while, but it didn't hurt to check if he had another gun.

"I might have breathed a little bit of that gas, feeling a little woozy but I'm fine…" Tetsutetsu responded, forcing himself from the floor to at least be in a sitting position.

"Think the others are fine?" Tetsutetsu asked worriedly.

"We should go back to our meeting spot, the others likely headed there when things started to go wrong and its well within the reach of this guy's Quirk… there might be victims there." Kendo suggested, using the Villains belt to tie his arms around a tree.

"If the gas is completely dispersed then the worst may yet be preventable." a voice came from somewhere out of view, causing Tetsutetsu to immediately rush to his feet.

"Machibuse-san?" Kendo turned far more calmly than her classmate as she recognized the voice, what surprised her however was that Machibuse was just about a meter away from them.

".38 caliber. No wonder it made so much noise… Any of you got wounded?" Machibuse asked as he picked up the handgun.

"You shouldn't be here! You got Mandalay's message didn't you!?" Tetsutetsu wobbled slightly on his feet.

"You have encountered her." Machibuse dismissed the question entirely as he noticed the gas mask that now rested on the floor.

"Huh?" Tetsutetsu tilted his head confusedly.

"Yaoyorozu-san headed towards our base here in the forest. Aiwase is with her." Kendo informed. To her it was clear that Machibuse was in a hurry and she knew very well why.

He relaxed slightly.

"Tetsutetsu-san give me your arm. I wasn't able to synthesize a full antidote to the poison you breathed with the components I had at hand, but I can at least give you an inert dose of the toxin to stop your body from absorbing more of it." Machibuse offered, the Chelicerae in one of his palms springing out.

"Ugh…" Tetsutetsu extended a reluctant arm.

"Come with us, Yui is taking care of Ibara and Honenuki, we can take you to our base from there." Kendo suggested.

"Very well, lead the way." Machibuse agreed and soon the three departed.

The sounds of battle came about from at least three different locations in the distance as the trio ran through the forest, one of them being oddly familiar but too drowned by the others to be distinguished clearly.

"Machibuse, any ideas as to why they are after you?" Tetsutetsu asked as he led the way towards the area where he and Kendo had last seen Kodai.

"A few possibilities have crossed my mind, but it likely has to do with the Hosu Incident. Mandalay and Tiger are confronting two Villains at the start line of the test of courage, one of them was after me and Iida-san… He was dressed in a Hero Killer costume and kept running his mouth about the Revival of Heroics. Although apparently the League wants to capture me alive, the other of the Villains fighting with the Pussycats let that escape when he tried to stop the cosplayer from coming after me with a sword. If they did their research then they know about my family, and that makes me a valuable hostage." Machibuse explained, leaving the worst possibility out.

"Your family?" Kendo asked curiously from the back of the group. She had assumed the rear-guard position as to keep the Villains' target as secure as possible.

"My grandmother was the head of the Ministry of Defense. She stepped down and retired about four years ago but her opinion still holds a lot of sway in there. If anything, having me as a bargain chip will get her butting heads with the pros and U.A., so that might be part of the reason." Machibuse responded.

"Found them!" Tetsutetsu interrupted, calling out as he pointed a finger towards his classmates.

"Yui! You al right!?" Kendo shouted the question, receiving only a hurried nod from the quiet girls.

"Kodai-san let me have a look at those two." Machibuse spoke as he kneeled between the two knocked out students and begun checking for Shiozaki's pulse and temperature.

"Y-y-ou know what you are doing, right?" Tetsutetsu asked, slightly surprised and very much flustered as he quickly averted his gaze. Machibuse had just unbuttoned Shiozaki's shirt without hesitation.

"I learned first aid in the Military Academy and my father was the doctor in charge of teaching it… You can imagine that I wasn't allowed to slack on his classes given that that he knew better than anyone what a Quirk derived from his could do if I wasn't well trained to use it." Machibuse responded, leaning his head against Shiozaki's chest.

"J-just be ready to face her righteous wrath for what you just did." Tetsutetsu commented very uncomfortably.

Machibuse, Kendo and Kodai just stared at Tetsutetsu in disbelief for a moment.

Machibuse took a deep breath and shook his head before fastening the buttons back up and turning to check on his fellow recommended student.

"Shiozaki-san's situation is worse, but neither of them are at apparent risk." Machibuse informed as he rolled Honenuki's shirt back down and injected both him and Shiozaki with a dose of his harmless version of the toxin.

"You said that the worse could be prevented, is the gas non-lethal then?" Kendo asked as she bent down to pick up Shiozaki on her back.

Machibuse just nodded as he did the same to Honenuki.

"From what I can tell by the components of that gas it is more likely that it kills by asphyxiation than by poisoning, and since you two dealt with the source of the gas than we should not have to worry about that. Still, the chances of these two are waking up today is very low. Once we find Momo then she can provide me with the components I need for an antidote and they should be up in a few hours." he explained.

Soon the six of them were rushing towards Class B's forest base, just about five more minutes according to Kendo.

"Which members of my class passed by you guys?" Machibuse asked.

"The last ones to reach my spot where Hagakure-san and Jiro-san, they had just passed by when we noticed the gas." Kendo responded.

"I was a little closer to the starting line, Yaoyorozu and, uh… the blonde dude had just passed by me. Aiwase was alone between me and Kendo." Tetsutetsu added, a brief pause giving away that he had forgotten Aoyama's name.

"Then Aoyama-san got split from her somehow… likely Momo gave him a bunch of masks and told him to find anyone else that needed help. He is probably hiding; his Quirk creates a lot of light and we would've noticed it if he used it. Either that or he was taken down by surprise without chance of fighting back." Machibuse concluded, his tone unwavering even when he spoke about the possibility of a dead classmate.

The situation was too serious for them to stop and worry. They needed to reach the forest base.

The sounds of destruction had gotten louder, something big was rampaging away somewhere as it moved towards the finish line.

The group speed up as much as they could.

"There they are!" Kendo spoke as she spotted Kamakiri's characteristic bright green hair.

"Oioi something is wrong here! Why are they all without gas masks!?" Tetsutetsu asked out loud as he quickly begun counting.

"That means Momo didn't make it here." Machibuse immediately connected the dots as he lowered Honenuki to the ground. He was visibly twitchy from tension now.

"This is bad… Machibuse! We need your help here!" Tetsutetsu called.

There was no response.

Machibuse just turned and began trying to pinpoint the origin of the sounds coming from the forest. Eyes keen for details allowed him to see a tree clearly struck by an attack.

His heart and mind were at a million miles per hour now that he was sure that Momo was in danger.

He just gave the first step when someone touched his shoulder, causing all the Chelicerae immediately spring into action.

Machibuse snapped his head almost mechanically to look back.

"Please…" Kendo spoke, clearly scared by the reaction her touch caused but still grasping firmly.

Took Machibuse a solid few seconds to retract his weapons and hurry towards the group of unconscious students and begun inspecting them one by one quickly before injecting the drug. The eight of them: Kamakiri, Kuroiro, Komori, Shishida, Tsunotori, Tokage, Fukidashi and Rin would all be out for at least a day or two without an antidote, but none were at risk of dying.

"Monoma is back at the lodge, so we are just missing Aiwase, Bondo, Shoda, Kaibara, Tsuburaba and Reiko…" Kendo spoke as she watched her classmates receiving the much-needed aid, carrying those that Machibuse treating towards where Kodai had set an impromptu blanket by using her Size on a piece of fabric ripped from Tetsutetsu's shirt.

"…you plan on going after her, don't you?" she added, noticing how Machibuse tensed further with every passing minute.

"Affirmative." he responded without stopping his ministrations. Just one more student to go.

"Do you really think it's a good idea for you to go? You are a target after all." Kendo asked, fairly worried that she already knew his response.

"I am afraid that love does not care about if an idea is good or bad." Machibuse responded, his expression softening for the first time as he picked up Tokage's arm and carefully injected her with the appropriate dose. The ordeal had costed him less than five minutes, but every second was painfully long in his head.

"Then at least let either me or Tetsutetsu go with you, we can't just let you do something like this alone after what you did for our class." Kendo offered as she picked Tokage up with her enlarged hand and carried her off towards the other nine victims of the gas attack, who by now were neatly being hidden underneath a large amount of foliage by both Kodai and Tetsutetsu.

"Yeah, I will go with you… Just give me a minute to gather some more of this stuff and we are finished here." Tetsutetsu spoke eagerly.

Machibuse simply nodded in agreement as he watched the teen making his way towards a denser part of the vegetation.

"Who was by the finish line? You said that there were still missing people." Machibuse asked, trying to shift his focus for the moment.

"Shoda and Reiko were the last two, just before the finish line; their Quirks work well together and are very good for this kind of game, so they were the closest ones from the escape. Wouldn't be surprised if they managed to get away without even coming in contact with the gas, so I'm not that worried about them. The other three were well within range however." Kendo explained, worry clear in her voice.

Machibuse just absorbed the information as he made his way towards the damaged tree he saw before. Not even ten steps from the clearing where the Class B students were.

The wood had been hit by something heavy, the large amount of chipped bits and sawdust over the place suggested that there was some shredding involved.

"What did you find?" Kendo asked as she approached.

"Before running into you guys I had an encounter with one of those Nomu that the League employ as pawns, likely set out to deal with whoever it found knocked out. It has chainsaws sprouting from extra limbs on its back and the damage here is something akin to what that thing would do… and there are more trees just like this one in that direction." Machibuse explained, now taking a few more steps into the path hacked away into the foliage.

"Why did it stop here then? I'm not going to complain that it decided not to head into our base here, but something changed it's course… did you do something to it?" Kendo asked, now visibly confused.

"I killed it. And I did it not too far from where I found you and Tetsutetsu-san. Something is not right…"

Kendo was just taken aback slightly by that response.

"How long do you think it would take to go from here to where Aiwase-san was stationed?" Machibuse asked.

"About twenty-five minutes, there is a lot of mud nearby and that slowed our pace quite a bit when we set out… you thinking that this Nomu found them?" Kendo asked worriedly.

Machibuse slowly reached for something on the dirt.

"I am sure of it." he responded, his voice now suddenly filled with a mix of dread and anger.

His hand was stained with blood. Very fresh blood.

Kendo didn't even had time to speak when Tetsutetsu's voice echoed from the clearing.

"WATCH OUT! VILL…!" he shouted, or at least attempted to.

There was a loud clanging sound as the Machibuse and Kendo turned just in time to see Tetsutetsu's metallic form crashing violently against a tree near their location.

"No wonder that crazy fuck wanted to check on this place again… It's a damn jackpot in here!" shouted a blond man clad in a red tank top. A massive scar going over his left eye made the mad grin on his face all the more threatening.

"So, which of you brats was the one to kill the other clone? I'm getting pumped about this!" the Villain demanded as his arms swelled to the point of rupturing his skin, causing a small amount of a familiar mud-like substance to splatter around him.

 _"Clone?"_ Machibuse asked himself. That explained the extra Nomu.

"TETSUTETSU!" Kendo rushed towards her friend, who was just getting back onto his feet after coughing a healthy amount of blood.

"Hey! You are on the capture list… that leaves me with what? Twelve?… no, thirteen other brats to murder! I should've come here sooner!"

Machibuse rushed in.

Momo had already waited much longer than the ideal, but another obstacle had appeared.

She would have to wait a little more.

Another target needed to be eliminated.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Twice's Quirk sets up some really amazing possibilities… surprised that we don't see more clones in the camp attack sequence in these fics.**_

 _ **For those wondering since when I had planned to have Hakuba tagging along with Class B during the attack: Chapter 6, paragraph 9 (I'm mostly sure). I set up a lot of shit in advance…**_

 _ **And for you Class 1-B fans out there: Chapter 22's author notes and Chapter 24's author notes. Right back at ya.**_

 _ **Yes, the worst part of writing scenes with Tetsutetsu is getting his fucking name right.**_

 _ **Till next time!**_


	33. Lost and Found

_**So huh, just passed 200 Favorites… that's a thing. I will just leave my most sincere thanks here and go buy myself a beer.**_

-.

 **July 21th, Pussycat's Territory, U.A. Summer Training Camp, 2230.**

Machibuse rushed in.

"Calm down kid! You're the one here they want alive!" the villain laughed as his right leg swelled up slightly. He rushed to meet Machibuse with insane speed, leaving a deep imprint of his foot on the dirt.

The teen only had time to dive to the side in order to avoid the collision with the massive arm coming for his head. His opponent spoke of keeping him alive but apparently wasn't interested in putting much effort into doing so; that strike clearly was meant to kill.

This was very bad.

By how far that guy managed to launch Tetsutetsu away and by that insane burst of speed it was easy to tell that his Quirk was some kind of strength augmentation similar to Midoriya's, and Machibuse knew very well what kind of destructive power his classmate wielded. But this one absolutely lacked any of Midoriya's self-restraint.

Tetsutetsu and Kendo were standing side by side and both ready for combat, albeit the former was far from being in his best shape. Kodai had begun walling herself and the unconscious students from 1-B behind whatever rocks she could reach with her Quirk… something that for sure would not keep that villain away, but it didn't escape Machibuse how the quiet student gave a quick nod towards Kendo as her hands gestured something. They had a plan at least.

There was a brief standoff. The villain was partially surrounded, two students in front of him, one at his left side and a rising wall of stone at his back.

All the four combatants in sight of one another were close range fighters and the U.A. students only had numbers at their advantage. Speed, power and, more importantly, the situation all weighted in the Villain's favor. There were plenty of defenseless targets within the villain's reach and differently from the students he had no need to worry about using lethal force.

Both Machibuse and Tetsutetsu rushed in, Kendo followed her plated classmate closely, but soon took a sharp right turn and began moving towards Kodai instead of towards their opponent.

"Away from the pebbles!" Kendo whispered in a hurry as she passed by.

Not an instant later Machibuse felt something bouncing of his body.

Kodai had thrown something, Machibuse could see her now moving away from the barrier she had set up. Kendo was acting as a decoy.

Kendo was just finishing crossing behind Machibuse went their enemy rushed in after her.

"Hold him off!" Kendo shouted.

"Easier said than done, miss!" the villain shouted back, quickly turning to give chase. More of that mud-colored liquid spattered as now his legs fully ripped from the surge of muscle mass.

One sharp dodge to the side allowed Machibuse to get out of the path his enemy would take.

The villain jumped after Kendo.

The various bits of rock in between he and his target quickly increased in size, the bigger ones now the size of bus tires.

There was no time for the villain to stop or change course, he simply crashed sending debris and more mud to the air.

"OI OI! YOU SNEAKY BIT..!" the villain shouted as he whipped his head towards Kodai, his mouth suddenly being forced shut as Tetsutetsu's metallic fist came rising in a vicious uppercut.

The muscles on his back now bulged in anger, the blood-red tank top torn to shreds.

Before the villain managed to strike something heavy impacted his back.

Kendo had tossed one of the pebbles-turned-boulders as soon as the enemy turned away from her.

Class 1-B's teamwork surely was something amazing to behold.

Machibuse would have to save the praises for later however, taking the opportunity to strike while his target recovered he quickly stepped on one of the boulders and vaulted over the increasingly larger man, clawing at his non-scarred eye with one hand while the other slammed against the top of the target's shoulder to provide impulse for a quick getaway. He would have finished the job there, but the two fists rising up to grab him demanded a change of plans.

The villain roared in rage, slamming both hands against the ground and missing Tetsutestu by a hair's width as he cursed.

"How long until your Quirk forces this guy to the ground? He is not going to fall for that again." Kendo asked Machibuse as the students watched the villain completely losing it because of the damage to his eye.

"I have not injected anything. I am not sure if I can synthesize much more of the counter to that gas so it's safer that I don't waste what I already have loaded." Machibuse informed.

"And besides, look. He doesn't bleed, so I am guessing that he is not made of flesh and bone. My chemicals would not have any effect." he added, pointing out the stuff oozing out from the villain's wounds.

"He did say something about a clone… you think he is one?" Kendo asked.

"Does not matter if he is or not, he needs to be put down immediately. I've a secret weapon, but I only have two shots… I can take him down in one if you guys can get me another good opening. He is fast, so the sure-kill range is much shorter than normal. I need to get at an arm's length from his head or chest." Machibuse spoke, getting ready for the incoming assault that was obviously coming his way.

"FUCK THAT CAPTURE BULLSHIT, I'M RIPPING YOU OPEN!" the villain's voice came from somewhere inside the rampaging mass of muscles as he charged towards Machibuse.

"Battle plan number seven, Machibuse is the finisher!" Kendo shouted as she picked another rock in her giant-sized hand, one meaty swing sending the projectile flying towards the enemy.

The rock was pulverized in an instant, but it gave Machibuse a large enough window to avoid the attack.

The villain dug his feet on the ground with a lot of force swinging one arm outwards as to attempt to strike the responsible for his wounded eye.

" _A damn wild animal. "We are lucky that this guy is just a brute. Any technique or strategy alongside this Quirk and we would be likely dead."_ Machibuse scorned as he dropped under the massive arm.

He gritted his teeth as his own weakness became so apparent. His friends were in danger and he was wasting time with that overly aggressive slab of meat.

A punch was quickly coming towards him, no time to dodge backwards.

Machibuse quickly dove in between the aggressor's legs. The villain's stance was absolutely trash, he was just a thug with a strong Quirk. Society's cancer at it's finest.

Rolling to his feet once he cleared the obstacle Machibuse was greeted by the sight of Tetsutetsu being lifted by Kendo. His Steel turned off as to reduce his weight.

A rock the size of a baseball rested in his firm grip as Kodai waited for the right moment to activate her Size.

The villain turned sharply, blinded by rage he failed to notice how his target moved to the side just enough so that his fellow heroes in training would be on the blind spot of his wounded eye.

A massive amount of muscle began rising from the villain's arm as he prepared to strike.

Kendo rocketed her classmate immediately.

Tetsutetsu responded by throwing the projectile in his hand in front of the villain's face and turning his Quirk on.

Kodai soon made so that the stone grew up in size to fully block the villain's view.

Immediately the villain turned to see what happened, rising his arm to shield himself against the incoming metal man. The idiot was full of openings.

Machibuse reached for his hip and stepped closer to his target.

His grip was firm and his arm steady.

There was a click.

And then…

 _*BANG*_

-.

 **Five Years Ago, March 14th, Okinawa Prefecture, Naha, Machibuse Residence, 1630.**

 _The characteristic thump of wood being struck echoed through the backyard by the hundredth something time that evening. The paper target affixed to the block of wood by now had more holes than paper in it, and very few of those holes had missed the vitals marked on the silhouette._

 _Kagome was very proud of her son for a number of reasons; he was smart, hardworking and mostly well-behaved. It got her slightly worried that he didn't have as many friends as most kids his age, but that was something expected given his lineage and the weight of his family name in Okinawa, but her son coped well with that, he understood his situation._

 _But what got her pride ridding high at that moment was just how gifted Hakuba had proven to be with the bow and arrow. Not only gifted, he was also devoted to the art._

 _And that devotion came simply because he promised to himself to show his grandmother how wrong she was._

 _Four years had passed since Hakuba asked her training. He still had a long way to go, but Kagome was sure her son would stand tall one day._

 _Another arrow impacted the paper target, this one dead centered on the throat._

 _The quiver was now empty._

" _Guess that this is enough for today, you still got your actual homework to do… just because you are having classes with your father doesn't mean you get to ride it easy on school." Kagome sighed, pouring herself a cup of a cheap sake she'd always been fond of. Pretty much the liquid courage that got her to ask Hakaku out for the first time many years ago after a ball hosted by the Academy._

 _Hakuba just gave a short nod and made his way towards the target to retrieve the arrows._

 _She just quirked an eyebrow at that reaction._

" _You really are your father's son… Something is bothering you." Kagome stated, eyeing her son from over the cup near her lips._

 _Hakuba turned to face his mother for a moment, before turning to the man-shaped target he had filled with holes._

 _He stared the thing for a good five seconds before speaking._

" _What is it like? The real thing you know..."_

" _Huh?"_

" _To kill someone."_

-.

 **Current day, July 21th, Pussycat's Territory, U.A. Summer Training Camp, 2235.**

There was a still silence in Class 1-B's forest base after Machibuse pulled the trigger.

It was just the echo of the shot and the sound of mud spattering on the floor. The villain's head had been completely blown open in a gush of that liquid, the whole body collapsed a second after.

"Target eliminated." Machibuse broke the silence, his voice more devoid of emotion than usual.

"THE FUCK MACHIBUSE!?" Tetsutetsu demanded an explanation.

"I took the gun from the villain you two defeated." Machibuse responded plainly.

"YEAH I CAN SEE THAT YOU DID! YOU JUST SHOT A GUY IN THE HEAD!" Tetsutetsu bellowed once more.

"Was a clone as we suspected." Machibuse stated.

"And you wouldn't have shot if he wasn't?" Kendo questioned in a serious voice as she approached.

Machibuse was quiet for a second.

"You three better take them somewhere else, this place is being targeted. I still have a mission ahead of me." he dismissed the question and begun walking towards the path he studied previous to this fight.

There was a lot of tension in the air as he holstered the revolver back into his belt.

"I can't stop you from going after her but I cannot allow you to leave with that gun. You are too on edge to be carrying something like this around." Kendo stated firmly, not turning back to face Machibuse as he walked past her.

There was no response, just the sound of the last cartridge timidly bouncing of the floor followed by the sound of the unloaded weapon also coming down.

"We will not speak about it to anyone. Suppose we owe you at least that much." Kendo spoke, her shoulders slumping as she begun threading towards her unconscious classmates with Kodai and Tetsutetsu following suit.

The later visibly clenched his fists.

Took Machibuse a moment to move after that exchange.

"My gratitude."

-.

 **July 21th, Pussycat's Territory, U.A. Summer Training Camp, 2245.**

It was a bad situation that just kept on getting worse. The trail had gotten cold. Not actually "cold", far from that: The fire had gotten to it.

But the track wasn't completely fruitless.

Machibuse had stumbled upon one of the communication devices worn by the Pussycats, the ones shaped like cat ears.

At least a chunk of one.

A very bloodied chunk.

The chainsaw Nomu had at some moment encountered Ragdoll, now it was a matter of whether it had happened before or after it had encountered Momo. It was Machibuse's best lead, so he made haste towards the midway point of the path that was supposed to be used for the test of courage. It was near enough and if the pro was there then Momo would very likely be with her.

If not then Hakuba would just need to keep on running, the search area now had gotten much smaller.

Machibuse now could see the main path. But something caught his attention just before that, a large foot sticking out from a bush. Way to big to be Momo's given the size, but maybe it was Shoji's…

Bondo Kojiro from Class B knocked out by the gas. Also knocked out nearby was Kaibara Sen. The two must've been on their way to find Ragdoll when the attack began and happened to fall asleep somewhere pretty much impossible to see from the main path. Luck was on their side.

Machibuse needed to be quick, they seemed to be in dire straits. Would take him less than a minute to dose them properly.

It was safer to just leave them there but having two students so close to the midway point of the test didn't paint a good picture for Ragdoll's situation. Those two would be surely the first on her Search, but she hasn't come for them yet…

There was blood everywhere.

And the other half of the communication device.

Ragdoll was either dead or had been captured in critical state. There was no body in sight, so that made the second possibility more likely. But why would the League want one of the Pussycats?

An idea came to Machibuse's head: there were named tags in there somewhere, if he could find them then it would be possible to tell who had passed by the midway point. This would give him a lead on which side of the path to follow.

Took him less than a minute to find the objects he looked for.

Only the two first teams had made it to Ragdoll.

All the noise coming from the finish line likely had to do with either Bakugo or Todoroki. Shoji surely would've joined them by now. Going after him first would be ideal given how good he was at tracking people, but there was no time for that.

Machibuse once more was on the run, this time towards the starting line.

The tags with both Momo's and Jiro's names were still there. And given what Kendo and Tetsutetsu had told him then his search area had been reduced to less much less than he originally expected.

He was getting close.

It was only a matter of making it on time now.

He continued running, now breaking off the path and towards the area where he believed the trail he followed after departing from Class B's base would take him.

"Machibuse-san! Over here!" a familiar voice came from the foliage.

Machibuse immediately turned.

"Aoyama-san!" Machibuse widened his eyes as he rushed towards his classmate's position. At least he wasn't dead as Machibuse previously thought.

Laying on the ground besides Aoyama were Jiro and Hagakure, both knocked out, but wearing gas masks similar to the ones he had seen with Class B.

"Why are you here? They are after you!" Aoyama panicked as Machibuse quickly began checking on the girls' situation.

"Where is she?" Machibuse asked bluntly.

"Oh… the mademoiselle left with someone from Class B. Asked me to stay here and watch out for these two, but that was sometime ago… over an hour." Aoyama responded, visibly worried now that his question had been answered indirectly.

Now it was clear that the blood nearby the forest base wasn't Ragdoll's. Momo and Aiwase were likely running from the chainsaw Nomu this very second.

Machibuse cursed under his breath as he now tried to feel Hagakure's invisible arm for an artery. Damn her Quirk was being inconvenient right now!

Both her and Jiro were in very bad shape, likely would've asphyxiated if Momo didn't happened to find them. The gas user must've begun his attack nearby before he moved towards Class B's base.

At least now they were safe. As safe as possible given the situation.

"Hey Dabi! You hear that message!?" an unknown voice came from the other side of the foliage.

Machibuse and Aoyama immediately tensed up.

"Pretty exciting. Mr. Compress sure got the job done quickly, huh?... He took his sweet time thought! I'm getting sleepy over here." the same person spoke again, his voice changing pitch during the sentence for some reason.

"Enough of that, he did well enough for us. We captured only one of the targets, but it would be better for us to retreat… this place was supposed to be concealed by a wall of flame and gas, but that Mustard kid seems to have been taken out." a second voice now responded.

"Now we can't go with the original plan… Damn right! Just as planned." the discordant one spoke once more.

There was a moment of sudden silence.

Through a small gap in the leaves Machibuse could now see how the second villain, this so called "Dabi" and his patchwork face had stopped and was now eyeing towards the students' hiding spot.

"Hey, Dabi! This is totally unimportant, but… sure you don't gotta call that Nomu thing back? Seems pretty important that we don't leave him behind and he only reacts to your voice!" Dabi's partner called his attention.

"Quiet Twice…" Dabi interrupted before whispering something in a com.

Had he seen the students?

Machibuse needed to think fast, the villain was approaching… He took his dog tags off while giving Aoyama a serious look before motioning for the two girls on the floor.

With a swift movement Machibuse tossed the tags against a tree a few meters away from where they were.

The clanging sound of metal immediately caused both villains to turn and look.

Machibuse quickly ran in the opposite direction, making sure that the villains would see his escape.

He needed to get them away from his classmates.

He needed to run.

"Now this is very convenient…" Dabi commented, a stream of blue flames shooting from his hand, prompting Machibuse to take a sharp turn as to lead the villain's aim away from the three behind that bush.

"Now now! It will be a problem if we bring back a bunch of coal… SO BURN HIM TO A CRISP, DABI!" Twice rushed after the escaping teen, the bladed measuring tape in his wristbands now coming out.

Dabi took a deep breath and stopped his assault, instead focusing on creating a ring of fire around the area to restrict his target while Twice dealt with keeping him busy in close combat.

There was very little actual combat between Machibuse and the masked villain that now cornered him, both fighters mostly avoided direct combat while trying to gain the upper hand with positioning.

That changed when Twice suddenly spawned a familiar looking Nomu.

" _So you are the one behind the cloning shit…"_ Machibuse concluded, stepping firmly against a tree and diving headfirst towards the Nomu as the monster's extra limbs surged from its back.

He had killed that thing before, no qualms about doing it again.

Machibuse spun forward in the air, hitting the soil in front of the cloned Nomu with his shoulder. The monster had just begun taking his first step, all his weight now rested on one leg.

Dabi enclosed the circle of fire as Twice leapt away from view.

Machibuse's momentum transferred as he rolled forward and forced his heels against the Nomu's knee, forcing the joint to bend in a direction it wasn't supposed to as he slid towards the monster's back. Once more there was the same liquid mud being splattered about, the whole lower half of the leg came undone as soon as the knee snapped.

The Nomu feel forward into the fire and begun struggling to get back up but died before it had time to do so... that one needed a lot less of a punishment to go down than the last.

It was now a matter of getting out, he had gotten far enough from where Aoyama was. Slapping on some of the liquid left behind by the clone would be passable as a protection from the heat when he dove through the fire.

"Now how about this one?" Dabi's voice came from somewhere behind the wall of blue flames.

A stream of fire missed Machibuse by inches as the teen jumped back.

Machibuse barely had time to register something surging from the other side of the wall of fire.

There was just a throbbing pain on the side of his head as what seemed like a hammer impacted his skull with a lot of force.

Another Nomu appeared as the ring of fire subdued. It's arm heavily charred by the cover it employed under Dabi's command… but very slowly Machibuse could see the green skin growing back. That one was the real thing.

And it hit like a fucking cement truck. Machibuse was barely able to stay awake, staying on his feet was a herculean task.

There was only the sight of the massive green hands reaching for him as the hammer swung down once more.

Everything was darkness after that.

He had failed Momo.

-.

 **July 22th, U.A. Highschool Teacher's Meeting Room, 0730.**

It was total defeat.

Out of the forty students fifteen were left in comatose as a result of being exposed to toxic gas, eleven had injuries of varying degrees, twelve got off without as much as a scratch…

And two were missing.

Of the six pros in the scene, one had suffered a serious head injury and one couldn't be found, having left nothing behind besides a massive bloodstain and a broken piece of gear.

Three of the villains had been arrested at the scene, but the others vanished without a trace.

"We established the training camp to prepare the students to battle against the villains and were attacked there… the irony is embarrassing. This whole "villain revival", we took it too lightly. They had already begun their war to destroy our hero society." Principal Nezu began the reunion as he turned off the screen showing the crowd of reporters stacked against U.A.'s main gate.

Alongside him at the table were All Might, Snipe, Midnight and Present Mic.

On the other side of the room another figure had sat down. Two men in identical black suits stood guard at either side of the seat.

"Even if we'd taken it more seriously, could we really have prevented this massive flurry of attacks? Most organized crime has been eliminated since the rise of All Might, so all that remains here in Japan are the best of the worst…" Midnight pointed out.

"We got too complacent in this peaceful era, otherwise there would be no need for preparations." Mic concluded with a pained sigh.

The brief silence in the room was interrupted by All Might's skeletal figure leaning heavily on the table with his elbows.

"I'm just deeply angy from the bottom of my heart about how useless I was… I was relaxing in the bath while they were out there fighting for their lives!" Japan's number one sulked, leaning his forehead against his hands.

"I reckon we can't pretend to be undaunted anymore, not in the way we went about having the Sports Festival right after an attack. Lettin' students get wrangled… is one serious failure on U.A.'s part. Wasn't just Bakugo and Machibuse that those vermin stole away; they took the public's trust in us heroes." Snipe now voiced his opinion on the matter.

"The media is having a field day beating on us. We can assume that they target Bakugo-san because of how widely disseminated that violent portrait of him created during the Sports Festival was. If the villains actually are able to win him over then this institution is simply finished." Nezu added to the discussion.

"And then we have the situation with Machibuse-san… that can also get ugly very fast." The Principal added, his beady eyes veering towards the guest in the room.

"Still, Snipe spoke about trust… this seems like the right time to bring it up now that we can be absolutely certain of it. There is a traitor in U.A. among us." Present Mic spoke with unfitting seriousness in his voice.

"Only we teachers and the Pussycats knew about the training location! But we have to consider other suspects, a student could have easily disclosed the coordinates with a cellphone's GPS, then…" he added to the possibility.

"Cut it out, Mic." Midnight interrupted him.

"Like hell I will! We have to…" Mic got up from his seat.

"Now listen up here you punk cockatiel, If you have nothing to add to the discussion then keep your mouth shut. Your voice gives me the migraines!" a commanding voice boomed across the room followed by the loud noise of something impacting the floor with considerable force.

Present Mic pretty much bit his tongue.

"Machibuse-dono, please…" The Principal began in a friendly tone, but like Mic was cut short by their guest.

"Let me remind you that you are in no position to make any demands, Nezu." Machibuse Hakame spoke bluntly.

"The Ma'am is right though… we can't even declare that one of us ain't the traitor. Once we start suspectin' each other and jumpin' at shadows we will destroy ourselves from the inside. If we are diggin' out for a mole then we shouldn't do it in a panic." Snipe pointed out, earning a short nod from the elderly woman in the room.

Present Mic just crossed his arms as he muttered something about being called a "punk cockatiel".

"For what it is worth, I happen to trust all of you. That being said I can't even prove my own innocence." The Principal appeased the situation.

"Anyhow, the task at hand is to ensure the students' safety. And in light of this potential traitor… there is something I've been considering for a while now. I think that it would be best if…" he added, but a buzzing noise cut his speech short.

 _ **YOUR PHONE IS HERE! YOUR PHONE IS HERE!**_

"At least try to have some class, Toshinori…" the elder Machibuse rolled her eyes as she watched the skeletal blonde rushing to pick up his cellphone.

"I'm sorry, I gotta take this!" All Might apologized and meandered out of the room.

Took him a few seconds to answer the call soon after closing the door shut.

"Sorry for the delay, what is it, Tsukauchi-kun?" All Might asked.

" _We just got the statements from Aisawa and Vlad King, but there is an unexpected development! We may have pinpointed the whereabouts of the League of Villains."_ Tsukauichi informed, his professional tone dotted with excitement about delivering the news.

"Really!?" All Might asked in disbelief.

" _Yeah. About two weeks ago one of my men was gathering information and found out that a man with a patchwork face was seen going into a building that was supposed to be vacant. The man was said to be in his twenties, so my people checked on the records for someone like that but found nothing and, after checking with the owner of the building it turned out that it was just some sort of bar hidden in there. Seemed unrelated with our investigation at first so my men shifted the investigation about the bar to another division… but this suspect with the patchwork face matches the description we received from the teachers, and I had a very reliable source assuring me that the League's hideout was in a bar."_ Tsukauchi explained the situation, eager to have been able to give All Might some hope.

" _This is top secret information, but since you are you I must explain: With the situation as it is, we have begun asking for the cooperation of a great number of pro heroes for a rescue and cleanup mission. All Might, please lend us your power, too!"_ Tsukauchi concluded.

The plan was beginning to be set in motion.

All Might slowly began growing into his muscular form.

"You are a hell of a friend… When we find those guys, this is what I'm going to say: I'm here… to fight back!"

-.

 **July 22th, Musutafu General Hospital, Room 301, 1145.**

Yaoyorozu Momo came back to consciousness earlier that day while under Recovery Girl's care. She had been coming in and out of her senses for the whole morning, mostly because of the aftereffects of the Healing used on her. Apparently the Nomu that attacked her and Aiwase had managed to put the thinnest of cracks in her skull. If the hit had landed with just a little bit more of force she likely would've died on the spot.

She remembered briefly speaking with her parents after waking up for the first time, but they soon left so she could rest.

A handful of other people had come to visit her during her sleep according to the doctors: Kendo and Kodai from 1-B as well, the girls from her class that escaped the gas, Aoyama, Shoji, Iida and obviously people from the police wanting to collect her testemony.

She knew very well something was wrong. There was something the doctors were not telling her.

Momo expected him of all people to be the one visiting. Hell, she expected waking up with him there refusing to leave.

But no… he wasn't there.

Something had happened to Hakuba.

She seriously considered getting up to look for clues. Her legs felt like jello but she could see a pair of crutches resting on the other side of the room… she just needed to get there.

Then there was a knock on the door.

It was a Machibuse, but not the one she expected to see.

"Ma'am…" Momo greeted as she eyed one man that seemed to be a bodyguard closing the door behind the elder.

"Please dear, you of all people shouldn't be the one addressing me with these titles when we are alone." Hakame completely dismissed any protocol as she normally imposed.

Momo gave a soft smile as the woman pulled up a chair and sat by her side.

"How are you feeling?" Hakame asked as she opened her handbag and begun searching for something.

"My head still hurts a little, and Recovery Girl's Healing did a number on my stamina, so I feel a little weak still… other than that guess I'm just hungry." Momo responded, her voice mildly playful for a moment.

"Then I guess I was right in bringing these with me. Back in I-Island you told me that your Quirk uses up the fat in your body, so I figured that these would be something you like." Hakame spoke as she produced a sealed paper bag with what seemed like chocolates inside and offered it to the girl resting by her side.

Momo couldn't help but express her surprise.

"What? You were expecting me to dice up apples for you? That is Fura's job, not mine." Hakame quirked an eyebrow as her lips formed an unamused flat line.

"I guess it is…" Momo stifled a laugh as she accepted the package.

There was a moment of silence following that.

Momo swallowed hard as she stared at the paper bag.

"…Why is Hakuba not here?" she asked, dreading the response already.

"I ran into some of your colleagues before getting here. The one with glasses that was with us during the I-Island incident and two others, a tall one with three sets of arms and a blond wearing a large belt… this last one gave me this. You should keep them." Hakame pulled something else from her handbag and carefully placed it on Momo's hand.

Hakuba's dog tags.

Momo's heart immediately begun beating faster in despair as her breathing got erratic. She trembled fearing the worse.

"I imagined that the people from the hospital were ordered to not tell you. He was captured by the League of Villains during the attack… the police likely already is beginning to assemble a rescue force. Expect them to come speak with you today still, the boy that carried you out of those woods said in his testimony that you gave something for him to stick on one of the League's artificial humans." Hakame informed as she got up, but she wasn't sure about how much of that information the girl had retained just now.

"I am guessing that you would like to have some time alone right now…" she offered.

The girl responded with a faint nod as she gripped the dog tags like a lifeline, holding them close to her chest as she curled up.

Hakame allowed herself to display her grief for a split second before she closed the door behind her, decided to wait in the corridor before leaving, someone would need to tell the nurses that would inevitably rush in to not interrupt.

Momo broke down, her pained cries escaping into the hallway.

Hakame forced her eyes shut for a moment.

"I am afraid I need to ask you to do double duty with those tears, dear… It would be very hypocritical of me to shed any for him after all these years."

-.

 **July 22th, Location Unknown, Time Unknown.**

Cold bright lights shinned upon his tired eyes.

He couldn't move, his body had been bound.

He tried to think, but nothing came up right.

Machibuse forced himself to calm down.

"Ah, young Machibuse, seems like you have finally regained your senses." a distorted voice came from somewhere nearby as the sound of hydraulics gave away what forced the bound teen to move.

Machibuse just now realized that he had been laying on his back and now had been propped up to his feet. Took him a moment for his eyes to focus, he was in a warehouse of sorts, his torso bound in a straight jacket that forced him to keep arms crossed while a series of belts tied him up to a dolly.

In the distance he could see Ragdoll, partially covered only by a white bedsheet that oozed with an unknown liquid. The pro was completely out, weakly mumbling some incomprehensible gibberish.

"You can kill me already… Not telling you shit…" Machibuse spat with difficulty. It was hard to stay awake.

"I was expecting someone bearing a name that is pretty much synonym with the military to have some better manners." his captor joked as he finally stepped into view. Was a tall, well-built man in a black business suit. A grotesque looking mask with various tubes sticking out of its neck and jaw concealed his face.

"I don't think that it matters if I play nice on my final moments… so either finish the job or go throw yourself under a bus, bucket face… I got people to meet on the other side." the teen dissed, following with a fit of painful coughing.

"It just so happens that your capabilities are very much well suited to Shigaraki's efforts, so for the moment it is very convenient to keep you alive while you think carefully about your next words." the masked threatened without losing his composure, causing something to stir in the back of Machibuse's throat. Whoever this man was, he now felt much more dangerous than Machibuse originally gave him credit for.

Hakame was threatening.

Chizome was threatening.

"And besides, there is no need for me to press you for information…" this man however was worlds apart from them as he erred closer.

"For I already know the truth."

…

..

.

 _ **AN: So, queue All For One's theme, yes? Get the tension building up for the next chapter.**_

 _ **On less dramatic news: I've been giving some serious thought about writing a short spin-off on this story focusing on Hakuba's mother, Kagome, once we reach the Chisaki arc or the School Festival arc… How does that sound to you guys? That would delay the main story updates slightly, and that is one of the main reasons pushing me to do it; I like having the source material way ahead of what I am currently going over as it gives me time to set up stuff properly.**_

 _ **Anyway, get your gear ready, we got a raid incoming next time.**_


	34. Overture

_**Before we get started on this mess I've got some cool news for y'all: People have been asking for some more art for this story for a while now and I am happy to say that I finally got my lazy ass to do another piece. It is a lot simpler than White Rider's hero costume (and I mean A LOT simpler, you guys have no idea how fucking long it took me to get those textures looking good), but yeah, just hit up my profile for a look at a more casual Hakuba. I've made it my profile picture because I was too lazy to set up a deviant art account or something like that.**_

 _ **I'll be updating the author notes on the first chapter later on to get a URL in to the new art there, guess it makes more sense to have it early on rather than putting new readers through 34 chapters to find it. I already put you guys through enough with just the whole "Truth" thing.**_

 _ **I might end up doing some other pieces for this story, like the Ryosou Kimono from chapter 29 or the service uniform from the I-Island chapters, but I have much less time to draw than I have to write so it will take a good while for updates on that front.**_

-.

 **July 23th, Musutafu General Hospital, Room 320, 1025.**

There was a light knock on the door.

"Oh, Midoriya, you are awake!"

Midoriya Izuku had regained consciousness just minutes ago, his body was still numb and his mind dazed, but the sounds of many people entering his room at least got him going.

"You likely haven't seen the news; the media is swarming over the school right now. Way worse than back during spring!" Kaminari, the one who first opened the door, informed as the crowd of 1-A students poured in.

"We've got you a melon! Everyone pitched in so we got a big one!" Mineta called out as he held said fruit above his head in display.

"I've caused you a lot of trouble, Midoriya…" Tokoyami spoke apologetically.

"No, I guess I should be the one apologizing… is the whole class here?" Midoriya asked, his voice still coarse.

"No… Jiro-kun and Hagakure-kun are still unconscious because of that villain's gas. And Yaoyorozu-kun received a terrible blow to the head and is hospitalized here, she regained consciousness yesterday… Everyone came but those three." Iida informed, tangible grief in his tone as he spoke.

"So it's just the fourteen of us…" Uraraka added reluctantly.

"Bakugo and Machibuse are not here either." Todoroki bluntly revealed the truth.

"T-Todoroki!" Ashido stuttered. Someone would inevitably have to break the news about those two, but that still felt too rough on someone that had just woken up.

There was a moment of silence in the room, those news finally got Midoriya to wake up properly. His mind played now back the sight of the final moments of that night, Bakugo slowly being dragged into a black warp gate, almost yelling at Deku to stay back, while a Nomu literally tossed Machibuse's unconscious form by the ankle into another doorway as if he was a broken toy.

"All Might told me something recently… about how we cannot save the people we can't reach… so we have to do our best to save those we can reach. But I could reach them… all I had to do was to save them! It was just as Aisawa-sensei said! I became totally useless after helping one person… and my body just wouldn't move!" Midoriya cried out his defeat.

"Then let's go save them this time."

Everyone now turned to Kirishima in shock. It was a bold proposal.

"Todoroki and I actually came by yesterday… we ran into All Might and a police officer speaking with Yaoyorozu on the way here; she has a way of tracking the League." Kirishima explained, recounting the brief conversation they happened to overhear.

"Does that mean that you two intend on having Yaoyorozu-kun making another tracker for us?" Iida asked, back tensing up as the confrontation with the Hero Killer flashed in his head. It had begun like that, with a lot of bravado and a noble intention.

Kirishima lowered his head.

"What if it does? Given who was taken then Yaoyorozu certainly wants to do as much as she possibly can." Todoroki stated.

"It's just as All Might said! This is something we should leave to the pros! This isn't the place for us to act, you idiots!" Iida lashed out in anger.

"Do you think we don't know that!? But I couldn't do anything! Even after I heard that my friends were being targeted, I couldn't do anything! I didn't do anything! If I don't act now then forget being a hero, I'm not even a man!" Kirishima shouted back.

"Kirishima, pipe down. We are in a hospital you know… It's fine to feel strongly about this, but in this case…" Kaminari interjected, a finger over his lips as he tried to find a way out of that situation.

"Iida-chan is right." Asui concluded.

"I know Iida is right! All of you are, but… Midoriya! Your hand can still reach them! Let's go!" Kirishima blurted out one last time, now sharply turning towards Midoriya while offering his hand.

Midoriya's silence was everything Iida needed to reach his conclusion, the class president knew very well what that meant.

"So… you are going to get this tracker from Yaomomo and follow it… to go save Bakugo and Machibuse for yourselves?" Ashido asked the plan, making clear that now some others were at least on the fence about acting.

"Yeah." Kirishima responded. At least the shouting had died down.

"Even though the villains said that we were targets to be killed those two were taken alive. They are probably still alive, but that doesn't mean that the villains won't kill them eventually, so Kirishima and I are going." Todoroki explained.

Iida was fuming by now.

"You got to be joking! This…" he rose his voice once more, but a bandaged arm moved in front of him this time.

"Calm down. I understand Kirishima's frustration about not being able to act and more so Todoroki's regrets about having those two taken. I was there too and I am angry as well… but this is not a situation where we should act on our emotions, right?" Shoji now made his voice heard. His stance on the matter clear as he tried to stop the situation from scaling again.

"I expected you to side with us." Todoroki stated plainly.

"Please, don't misunderstand me… I want to save those two as much as everyone in this room but I know Machibuse and I know how bad he would take it if anything happened to any of us because we tried to save him… I also assume the same applies for Bakugo given what he said before that portal closed." Shoji responded.

"And besides that, Aisawa-sensei's permission to fight at the training camp has been rescinded too. We should leave this to All Might…" Aoyama added nervously.

"Aoyama is right. I can't say much since I was the one needing saving, thought…" Tokoyami reluctantly stepped down from the fence now.

"But…!" Kirishima began, he knew that their intentions were wrong, but now more and more people were pushing for a "no" to their plan.

"We are all shocked about what happened, but let's think things through calmly. No matter how just your feelings are, you saying that you'll fight again, that you will break the rules… those are the actions of villains." Asui interrupted, her last statement causing everyone to shut up for a moment.

Tension had filled the room.

Then there was a knock on the door.

"Sorry to interrupt, but it's time for Midoriya-kun's exam…" one of the doctors informed as he pushed the door open.

"Y-Yeah… How about we go? I wanna see how Jiro and Hagakure are doing, too…" Sero spoke, motioning for the group to get moving.

"S-sure…" Ojiro agreed.

"Deku-kun, get better soon!" Uraraka spoke timidly as the fourteen students got moving.

"Thank you, everyone." Midoriya responded as he watched his friends leaving.

Then Kirishima approached him, his voice hushed.

"We already spoke to Yaoyorozu. If we are going to do it then it has to be tonight. I'm not even sure that you can move, but I wanted to invite you because you are probably the one feeling this the most… We will be waiting in the front of the hospital tonight."

-.

 **July 23th, League of Villains' Hideout, Storerooms, 1500.**

The warp gate opened.

Bakugo immediately shot to his feet, he had been locked a storeroom apparently outfitted to be a holding cell since his brief talk with Shigaraki Tomura once he arrived at the bar used as a hideout by the League. The only times he had been allowed to take off the heavy handcuffs that kept his palms unusable were during the surprisingly decent meals and when he was to use the bathroom, but every single of those moments had been accompanied closely by at least two of the League's Nomus and one of their members in the immediate vicinity.

Machibuse fell through as if someone had shoved him from the other side. A plastic bottle half-filled with not-so-clear water soon followed as the portal was about to close, just to add insult to injury.

Bakugo had not expected that to happen. Last time he had seem Machibuse was when both of them arrived at the building they were currently in, but Machibuse was unconscious and soon had been dragged away by a Nomu through another portal… that was over a full day ago, Bakugo couldn't deny that he considered the possibility of his classmate being killed off more than once.

Not that Machibuse looked much better than dead as he painfully tried to get his face off the floorboards amidst a fit of dry coughing; his shirt ripped open in many places revealing a series of shallow cuts always in groups of five, multiple marks from what seemed to be syringes doted his arms and neck alongside the characteristic wounds left by his own Quirk, the bags under his eyes made it clear that he hadn't been allowed to rest.

If anything it seemed like someone had patched up the wounds on his head.

"Oi! Pinprick! The hell happened to you!?" Bakugo called out as he kneeled beside his classmate.

Machibuse tried to answer but his voice didn't come out as he tried to desperately open the bottle.

The small hatch on the iron door to the holding cell opened.

"You have until midnight to rest and come up with your answer. You know what happens if we don't like it." Kurogiri informed before closing the hatch once more.

For a moment it was just the sound of Machibuse drinking hastily that filled that small room.

"You all right?" Bakugo asked again, his tone much different from his usual aggression.

"Negative. What about you? Seems like your accommodations for last night were much better than mine, at least." Machibuse responded, not bothering with getting up as he felt too weak to do so.

"Just had to endure that freak with the hands spewing nonsense, he wants me to join his little club." Bakugo explained, motioning for his classmate to hang onto him.

"My gratitude." Machibuse spoke weakly as he used all his remaining strength to hold onto Bakugo's shoulder. Soon both of them were sitting down on the old, hole-ridden couch that took up most of their enclosure.

"You and I are on the same boat then. But seems like their intent, at least in capturing me, is to make use of my Quirk for some reason… the one with the black mask said that I would be turned into a Nomu if I kept refusing to joining the League." Machibuse explained his side of the story.

"Black mask?" Bakugo asked.

"Seems like you have not run into him, you surely would've known who I'm talking about after just being close to him..." Machibuse explained, every hair on his body standing up as he remembered that menacing figure.

"Has a Quirk capable of forcing people to activate theirs. That's why I am in such a poor condition; he got my own Quirk to knock me out, after that all I remember are flashes of some kind of laboratory… apparently I was only allowed this parley because my chemical production is a little finicky; whatever he wanted me to synthesize was not coming out right." Machibuse added.

"Then we better start thinking about getting outta here." Bakugo stated as he got up, he had studied every nook and cranny of that holding cell yesterday, but the situation now got darker.

"I am afraid that I can't run away anymore, Bakugo-san…"

Exhaustion.

Machibuse passed out.

-.

 **July 23th, Musutafu General Hospital, 2005.**

Todoroki and Kirishima now waited by the entrance of the hospital just as they had told Midoriya.

"I wonder what Yaoyorozu decided." Kirishima broke the silence, memories of their talk with Yaoyorozu fresh on his mind.

"Well, it all hinges on that no matter how restless we are. It's not like we can go anywhere without her help…" Todoroki agreed, their plan was doomed to fail from the start without a way to locate the villains' hideout.

The two tensed up, time was running out.

The door opened.

"She's here!" Kirishima spoke, that was a good start, but it just got him more on edge about the outcome.

Yaoyorozu had a trouble expression as she made her way out of the hospital, something metallic firmly secured in one of her hands. Her gaze shifting away from Todoroki and Kirishima. Midoriya followed her close behind.

"Yaoyorozu… what's your answer?" Kirishima asked eagerly as the four students now grouped together.

Her grip tightened, but another voice boomed from the gates before she could speak. Two more people had arrived.

"Iida? Shoji?"

"Why… why did it have to be you guys of all people!? The one who stopped me when I acted recklessly for personal reasons… You two received amnesty with me, why are you trying to make the same mistake I did!? It's too much…" Iida painfully demanded an explanation.

"What are talking about?" Kirishima asked back, confused, just to have Todoroki placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him from asking more.

"Are you sure that this is the right thing to do? You know better than anyone that he will never forgive himself if anything happens." Shoji asked, his voice much calmer than Iida's as he turned to Yaoyorozu.

She didn't know how to even begin.

"We are still minors under U.A. protection, and the school is already facing enough as it is. Who do you think will have to assume the responsibility for your actions!?" Iida continued, his entire being stiff in tension.

Midoriya stepped forward.

"Iida-kun, its not like that! We don't think it's okay to break the rules either…"

 _*BAM*_

"I HAVE REGRETS TOO! AND OF COURSE I'M WORRIED! I KNEW MACHIBUSE-KUN WOULD TRY TO DO WHAT HE DID, BUT I STILL LET HIM ESCAPE INTO THAT FOREST! I'M THE CLASS PRESIDENT, OF COURSE I WORRY ABOUT MY CLASSMATES! NOT JUST HIM AND BAKUGO-KUN..!" Iida shouted as his hand connected sharply with Midoriya's face.

"…when I saw your injuries, I also saw my brother's! What if this vigilante act of yours sends you somewhere you can't come back from!? What if your recklessness makes your body unrepairable like my brother's!? Are you saying that you don't care about that?... Are you saying that you don't care about how I feel…?" he continued, his voice now slowly coming back to a more regular volume as he placed both his hands on Midoriya's shoulders.

"Iida-kun…" Midoriya muttered, still somewhat shocked.

"Iida… we don't expect to face them head-on and win either." Todoroki spoke.

"Huh?" Iida turned confusedly.

"We'll extract him without fighting." Todoroki explained.

"Covert action… that's the way we students can fight without going to the wrong side of the law!" Kirishima added as to ease Iida's worries as much as possible.

"I trust you Todoroki-san. But so that I can stop you three if anything happens, I plan on accompanying them, as well." Yaoyorozu finally gave her response, earning vastly different reactions from Iida and Kirishima.

"I know that Hakuba would be against this rescue mission… but he got captured because he wanted to help me. I have been telling myself that I should stay put since yesterday but I can't, I want to have him safe as soon as possible... If there is something I can do without crossing any lines then I have to do it." she stated, firmly looking Shoji in the eye.

"I'm not really sure either… but just the thought that we can still reach them, I cannot get it out of my head. I need to save them!" Midoriya finally gave Iida his answer. He would not back down.

Shoji slumped his shoulders as he sighed through his mask.

"Let's go, Iida. There is no arguing with these four…" the taller teen spoke as he turned away from the group and began walking towards the street.

"No. If there is no way we can come to an agreement… Then, take me with you, too!" Iida proposed to everyone's surprise.

Took the six of them a moment to get moving, but soon they stopped once more as Shoji signaled an incoming bus.

"I trust that the two of you know what you are doing." Shoji spoke to Iida and Yaoyorozu, breaking apart from the group.

"Sorry…" Kirishima offered, his head hanging low.

"I should be the one apologizing. You guys are out to do something dangerous like this and I can't even help." Shoji responded, looking towards the mass of bandages around his three left arms.

There was a brief silence, Shoji normally wasn't one to show his feelings, but he clearly seemed troubled by backing out as the bus approached.

"You are going on a covert mission, so it is better that I don't join… Can't really say that I blend with the crowd." he commented to at least try lighten the mood before departing.

"We will bring them back." Yaoyorozu assured as Shoji stepped a foot into the bus.

"The stuff he brought to the summer camp ended up with me, so just don't forget to tell that idiot of a boyfriend of yours to pass by my place after you save them."

-.

 **July 23th, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama, Streets of Kamino, 2220.**

They had arrived at the Kamino ward of Yokohama. The streets were bustling with people even at an hour like this, commerce was still full and the lights on the office buildings above the street were almost all still lit up. The League's hideout was nearby. Bakugo and Machibuse were nearby.

The first order was for the group to disguise themselves as Yaoyorozu pointed out that the villains knew their faces, so scouting openly was a major risk.

Also following Yaoyorozu's suggestion the group ended up at a Donki-Oote store… Didn't take long for Kirishima to figure out that it had more to do with the multimillionaire Yaoyorozu curious to experience that dirty cheap store for the first time in her life than with their actual mission.

It also didn't escape him, or any of the boys for that matter, that she now had Machibuse's dog tags hanging around her neck, tucked under a large necklace she procured in the store.

Regardless, she was right. A group of U.A. kids walking around so late in the night would raise suspicions.

"Oh! It's U.A.!" someone on the crowd called out, causing the five students to tense up thinking that their cover had been blown.

Wrong.

Now they realized that one of the screens perched on the buildings that lined the street had begun showing a clip of a press conference.

It was Principal Nezu, Eraserhead and Vlad King, all in formal clothing with their heads bowed apologetically.

"It's Aisawa-sensei!" Midoriya tried to keep his voice down, but surprise still got to him somewhat.

"And even the Principal!" Yaoyorozu added. Things were getting ugly for U.A..

" _We deeply apologize for the incident that allowed harm to come to twenty-eight first years of the hero course because of our unpreparedness. We apologize for causing unease to society due to our negligence in properly defending ourselves as a place of learning. We are truly sorry."_ Aisawa's voice, and the sounds of cameras flashing, filled the street as they came from the speaker attached to that monitor.

"Aisawa-sensei, who hates being on TV, is…" Kirishima was baffled, but another voice coming from the speakers cut him short. A reporter asking questions.

" _I'm from Yomiuri TV. Since the beginning of this year, U.A. High School have had four encounters with villains. This time, there were many students injured. How did you explain that to their families, and what are some specific countermeasures you are taking?"_ the reporter asked.

"They are treating them as the bad guys…?" Midoriya muttered in disbelief.

" _We will increase policing in the surrounding area and have begun revamping the security within the school. A strong posture against villainy is the best way guarantee the students safety."_ Principal Nezu took to answering the question.

That response however only served to feed the chatter on the street, U.A.'s response had pleased no one.

The mood had begun to change.

-.

 **July 23th, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama, League of Villains' Hideout, 2225.**

Bakugo and Machibuse had been brought to the bar once more, the first on his enclosed steel cuffs and the later trapped in a straight jacket once more, both tied up to dollies for ease of transport. All the members of the League of Villains were present. All but the one Machibuse had met yesterday, and the teen was very grateful for his absence.

"It's so strange… Why are the heroes being criticized like this? They were just a tiny bit off the mark. Is it because it's their job to protect? Everyone makes a mistake or two… are they supposed to be perfect? Modern-day heroes are so uptight, don't you guys agree?" Shigaraki Tomura asked ironically.

"Heroes stopped being heroes the minute protecting people started with a paycheck. That is Stain's teaching." Spinner added to the argument, earning a tired and very much aggressive look from Machibuse.

That response wasn't left unnoticed.

Right on cue the press conference reached a very important topic.

" _I'm from NHA. My question is about one of the kidnapped students, Machibuse Hakuba: Me and my team, and I am sure most other news agencies in the country, have tried to gain more information on this particular student but found very little information not marked as classified… The public information from U.A.'s entrance exam lists him as a recommended student but does not list who recommended him, we assume that the letter must have come from his grandmother and former Minister of Defense, Machibuse Hakame. Beyond that the only public files specifically related to this student are those made available by the prefecture of Okinawa and two stories that made it to the news, his almost-deadly encounter with the Hero Killer earlier this year and the JDS Murakumo Incident four years ago. It is important to emphasize that while your student is never mentioned in any accounts about that incident, he has been spotted in multiple pictures of it. Now, the question I want U.A. to answer is: Why was Machibuse Hakuba targeted?"_ the reported asked after his somewhat lengthy explanation.

"Hey Boss, tell me again why this one is still alive?" Dabi asked impatiently as he turned towards the television; Bakugo was an obvious target, but the Vanguard Action Squad knew next to nothing about Machibuse, just that he was connected to a former governament official and that he was less concerned about holding back than the other students.

" _Machibuse-san's situation in our school is a peculiar one, I will admit. I have been acquainted with Machibuse Hakame since before she stepped down from her position as minister, but that is not relevant now. We are both educators, even if the facilities we lead are vastly different... The secrecy related to what information U.A. divulges about the young Machibuse is a personal favor she asked me when he enrolled U.A.. I have not asked the reason behind it at the time, and honestly still have no desire to do so. As for why he was target there are three clear possibilities: To make use of his Quirk, to cause unrest among the military or because of his encounter with the Hero Killer. We cannot discard any of those, and all maybe true as well, but rest assured that he is as big of a hero as every other U.A. student, maybe even bigger. He will persevere."_ Principal Nezu responded, that last compliment undeniably bolstering Machibuse's morale, but there was no way for him to persevere against the fourth possibility Nezu failed to mention.

"Well, you heard the man-bear-rat-thing… It's all about party composition. This one can play both Assassin and Healer, and we are awfully short-supplied on the later." Shigaraki offered to his comrades.

"Shigaraki! He is responsible for the fall of Stain! This leech needs to be purged!" Spinner interjected, he clearly wasn't convinced. Neither were the other members of the Vanguard Action Squad.

Shigaraki just gave a short laugh in response as Kurogiri reached for something under the table and offered it to Spinner. It was a photo.

"I'm just teasing you all! I know very well that he played a role in taking down the Hero Killer, but what you guys didn't know is that Hosu wasn't the only place this one and Stain met… Pretty suspicious for a hero in training to be visiting a S-Class Villain inside Tartarus, isn't it, Machibuse-kun?" Shigaraki explained, asking his prisoner the most rhetorical question.

Bakugo now had his eyes wide in surprise, this was news for him as well.

"You've been visiting Mister Stainy!? How did you do it? Is he nice? I want to meet him, too!" Toga basically leaped over the balcony to see the picture of Machibuse entering Tartarus.

"Now _that_ is a good reason for him to be alive! Come on kid, what did He tell you!?" Spinner eagerly asked as he stepped closer.

"Be careful around this one…" Kurogiri warned.

Too late.

There was the sound of something snapping as Machibuse quickly forced his jaw to move to the side.

In an instant he spitted a bloodied Chelicerae at the hasty villain that approached.

Unfortunately Kurogiri was quick to intervene, a small warp gate quickly manifesting in between Machibuse and Spinner. The broken injector turned projectile now fell harmlessly on the bar counter, coated in blood and a surely lethal chemical.

"Hosu taught me to not underestimate him. Bear in mind that he likely can try this attack a second time." Kurogiri informed as Spinner quickly moved back.

"Couldn't you have allowed me to at least get rid of this eyesore? None of you are worth of speaking Chizome-san's ideals, you are all society's cancer, but this one is just plain irritating." Machibuse gritted his now bloodied teeth as he turned towards Kurogiri with clear anger breaking through his façade.

"The fuck you are talking about, Pinprick!?" Bakugo demanded an explanation.

"So you didn't know about it either, Bakugo-kun? Your friend over here is another supporter of the Hero Killer's ideals by the looks of it!" Shigaraki took the opportunity to take back the lead of the conversation.

"And come on, "Chizome-san"? You are on first name basis with _the_ Hero Killer, for real? Isn't he the guy that got your friend's brother in a wheelchair for life? The guy that got a sword through your gut?" he taunted before turning towards the members of his League.

"We are just seeing the same ideology through different eyes… I got plenty of dirt on him, so he will talk soon. Now, where was I?... Yeah! The strange system of transforming people's lives into money or glory… The society that sticks to those rules… The citizens who blame the losers rather than encouraging them to fight another day… Our war is based on simple questions: What is a hero? What is justice? Is this what society is supposed to be like? We win the second people begin making those questions with us. And we are planning on winning, you like winning, right?" Shigaraki resumed his speech, the last part clearly meant to tug on Baguko's drive to be the best.

There was a brief moment of silence as Shigaraki planned his next step.

"Machibuse-kun, I want you to join us on your volition rather than resorting to blackmailing you into doing so. We have means that are off the limits imposed on the Ministry of Defense, we definitely can find the one who pulled the strings. Think about this offer with care… Meanwhile, Dabi, release Baguko-kun's restraints." Shigaraki spoke with levity in his voice.

Machibuse immediately perked up in attention. The League had played it's trump card on him.

"Huh? This guy's gonna fight, you know." Dabi responded.

"It's fine. We need to treat him like an equal, we are scouting him after all. Besides, you can tell if you will win or not in this situation, right, U.A. student?" Shigaraki waved off the concerns.

"Twice. You do it." Dabi pushed the responsibility.

"What? Me? No way." Twice complained.

"Do it." Dabi somewhat ordered now, earning more complaints but successfully getting the job of his hands.

"I do apologize for using such forceful methods. But please understand that we are not just a mob trying to commit crimes. We didn't kidnap you by accident." Mr. Compress offered in a friendly manner as Shigaraki approached the now free Bakugo.

"Even though our situations differ by miles, everyone here has been restricted and suffered because of people, rules and heores… I'm sure you also…"

 _*BOOM*_

Bakugo didn't waste more than a second before immediately blasting Shigaraki with his Quirk.

"You idiots can't get to the point so I had to stay put and listen for a lot of time. Basically, you mean to tell me "We wanna harass people, so please join us," right? Don't bother! I want to win like All Might! No matter what you guys say, that will never change!" Bakugo stood his ground, a nervous grin on his face as he looked towards the biggest challenge he had ever met.

The bar was silent once more.

"… _during the incident it appears that you urged them to fight. What was your intention behind this?"_ the voice of one of the reporters in the U.A. press conference filled the vacuum as Shigaraki recovered.

" _I concluded that because we were unable to fully grasp the situation, it had to be done in order to avoid the worst possible outcome._ Aisawa responded calmly.

" _What do you mean by "worst possible outcome"? You don't call twenty-six victims and two abducted as the worst possible outcome?"_ the reporter pressed on. He wanted to drive Aisawa over the edge.

" _The "worst outcome" to me involved the death of the students."_ Aisawa didn't took even a second to respond.

" _The gas derived from one of the villains' Quirks is responsible for most of the victims. Kendo-san and Tetsutetsu-san were quick to respond and take the gas user down before he could do more damage. It also happened that Machibuse-san treated all the victims of the gas before he was captured, so there were no serious injuries related to that attack. In addition, we are providing all the care needed to ensure that all the students recover… as of now we do not see any signs of serious psychological trauma."_ The Principal added.

" _So you are saying that there is a silver lining to this tragedy?"_ the reporter continued.

" _We believe that the worst outcome is one that permanently would affect a students future."_ the Principal clarified.

" _Can you say the same about the captured Bakugo? He enrolled U.A. with excellent marks and even won your Sports Festival. In addition, during the incident with the sludge villain in middle school he resisted alone. He has a story of showing how tough and heroic he can be… On the other hand he has show a lack of mental stability, be it during the final match of the Sports Festival or during the awards ceremony that followed that. What if the villains kidnapped him because they had an eye on that? Tainting him with deceitful words and pushing him down the path of villainy? Can you prove that he has a future society can look up to?"_ finally it came to light. The same reporter now used his own trump card to get U.A. to step out of line.

Aisawa Shota got to his feet.

And bowed gently.

" _As an educator I take full responsibility for Bakugo's violent behavior. However, his actions at the Sports Festival originate in what he considers "ideal strength". He is trying harder than anyone in his pursuit to become the top hero. If the villains saw that and thought it was an opening, then I believe that they are being short-sighted."_ the teacher responded masterfully as the camera panned towards the now visibly tense reporter, who hurriedly questioned nuances in Aisawa's speech as he accused U.A. of sitting idly.

Hearing those words from his teacher just got Bakugo more pumped to hold his ground.

Machibuse knew that his classmate was strategizing.

"JUST SO YOU KNOW, I STILL HAVE PERMISSION TO FIGHT!" Bakugo taunted as now the villains began commenting on his chosen course of action.

Machibuse couldn't help but agree with the one called Mr. Compress, had Bakugo pretended that they had convinced him then it would've been far easier to escape.

Shigaraki muttered something, finally moving his gaze from the disembodied hand Bakugo knocked out from his face.

That got Kurogiri very uneasy.

"Don't touch him, any of you." Shigaraki ordered, completely going against what was expected to happen and simply picking up the hand that he now placed back over his face with great care.

"This guy is a valuable piece. I wished that you would've listened to me a little… I wanted to reach some level of understanding with you…" Shigaraki spoke calmly.

"Understanding? No way." Bakugo resisted.

"Then I have no choice. The heroes said that they're investigating us… We don't have the time to talk leisurely." Shigaraki resigned, slowly turning his back towards the television.

"Sensei… lend me your power." he asked.

"That was a good decision, Shigaraki Tomura." a voice that Machibuse immediately recognized came from the television.

Things were about to get much worse.

"Sensei? You are not the boss around here? That is not funny." Bakugo asked, far more tense now as he realized that the voice that came from the now pitch-black screen could've been the one guy that Machibuse had met.

"Kurogiri, Compress, make him go asleep again." Shigaraki ordered.

The masked villain shrugged in disappointment as he begun making his way towards Bakugo.

Both classmates quickly exchanged looks, there was no time for Bakugo to free Machibuse. There wasn't even time for Bakugo to make it to the door before Kurogiri made escape impossible.

Then there was a knock on the door.

"Hello, this is Pizza-La, Kamino store."

Everyone in that bar, villain or not, now shared a moment of clear confusion.

Machibuse was the most confused of them all, he knew that voice. Very well actually.

"Pardon my vocabulary but… what the actual fuck, Sir?"

…

..

.

 _ **AN: The pizza delivery is the best single line in the entirety of season three, change my mind.  
**_

 _ **JDS stands for Japanese Defense Ship, Murakumo means "Gathering Clouds".**_

 _ **Preparing to breach in 3… 2… 1…**_


	35. Words We Couldn't Say

_**So, 50k views huh…**_

-.

 **Nine-hundred seconds until the raid. July 23th, Maximum Security Prison For Villain Criminals – Tartarus, S-Rank Row, 2220.**

Bound to his chair Akaguro Chizome awaited his visitor. The Hero Killer knew very well that someone would come to him after he got the news regarding the kidnaping of a certain victim of his.

The door opened. Three people entered.

Not a single of them was from the police or from Tartarus' staff.

"I knew that it wasn't the first time I had heard that kid's name… ahh… but now things make a lot more sense. Why he has those eyes..." Stain's intense voice welcomed his guests; Machibuse Hakame and her two bodyguards.

"Stendhal." the visibly irritated elder greeted back as she approached the chair set in front of the glass.

"I discarded that mask many years ago. Now, what do you want?" Stain asked coldly.

"Fura… my grandson, I am here to learn of what have you discussed with him." the woman demanded.

"Wouldn't have been easier for you to ask that to the lie detector detective?" Stain asked back.

"My grandson and detective Tsukauchi have a good relationship that I much prefer to not strain. And besides, Fura surely asked for the detective to keep the secret… I do not have the patience to deal with that. Now speak." the elder Machibuse demanded once more, her patience waning.

"You want me to focus on the part where Hakuba vowed to follow the tenants I passed to him about the Revival of Heroics… ahh… or is this about how he is clearly trying to keep people from knowing something?" the Hero Killer offered, clearly prodding for a reaction.

"I do not care about your philosophy." the elder Machibuse stated firmly.

"You better begin caring. I will be sending the White Rider to an early death if he steps out of the line." Stain warned in a serious tone.

Machibuse Hakame became silent for a moment, considering that new scenario.

"Is that so…? Get me a feed from the rescue operation! I want to see it in real time!" the elder bellowed to one of her stoic bodyguards.

One of the men quickly bowed and made haste to fulfil what was demanded.

"I can work with that, Stendhal. There are enough loose ends on that incident already, and Machibuse blood may not run thick enough if Fura chooses to fall off the path for a shot at that."

-.

 **Six-hundred seconds until the raid. July 23th, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama, Streets of Kamino, 2220.**

The rogue rescue mission had now left the main streets of the Kamino ward. They now had reached an unkept building on a dimly active backstreet. A sturdy fence and tall walls now stood in between them and their target.

"This is the spot the receiver is showing." Yaoyorozu informed as she pressed her back against the wall, spying the building with care.

"So that's their hideout… looks like one!" Kirishima spoke, now more eager to act than ever.

"I don't know if it's their hideout or not, but from what I can see on the receiver, the villain has not left here since the attack on the summer camp. Also, just because the villain is here does not mean that Hakuba and Bakugo-san are. We are here with very little to go on, please think about that." Yaoyorozu responded, now turning towards her disguised friends with worry in her expression.

"We don't have anyone that excels at sneaking around, like Jiro or Hagakure, with us… ironically enough Machibuse-kun would've been just who we needed for this mission. If I think it's the least bit dangerous, I will stop immediately. Because I'm your friend, I will not hesitate to call the police on you, either." Iida warned.

"Thanks, Iida-kun… What can we do with what we have? I've gotta think." Midoriya responded as he now began muttering loudly about a possible course of action.

"It's been a while since I saw that muttering." Kirishima admitted, mildly amused.

"It really feels like Midoriya-san." Yaoyorozu pointed out.

Information was of the utmost importance, so before any moves were made the group decided to scout some more. There was no reaction coming from the seemingly empty warehouse, all lights were turned off and, as Midoriya had pointed out, the weeds were thick in front of the door, so it had been a while since someone came through there.

They were getting nowhere, and the drunks hitting on Yaoyorozu now forced them to at least move from their current location.

They now decided to make it to the back of the target building by squeezing through the space in between the warehouse's wall and the neighboring property's.

Progress was slow, and very uncomfortable.

"This is very narrow… I feel like I am about to get stuck..." Yaoyorozu voiced her concerns from the back of the group, the endowments of her figure turning against her in that scenario.

"We can't move until we know for sure it's safe. No one will see us here… at that height we should be able to see inside!" Midoriya, unaware of what specifically ailed Yaoyorozu, offered before cutting his own train of thought as he spotted a window within their reach.

"Will we be able to see anything in that darkness?" Todoroki posed the issue.

"Leave it to me, I will make a night vision scope…" Yaoyorozu responded, preparing to get her Creation to work.

"Wait, Yaoyorozu… I actually brought one with me…" Kirishima interrupted, fishing the device from his pocket.

"Wow, why?" Midoriya voiced his surprise.

"When I thought about what we'd have to do, I thought that we would need something like this." Kirishima explained.

"But isn't that super expensive? I did some research online when I was designing my costume… one of those doesn't come for less than fifty thousand yen…" Midoriya was still mildly baffled.

"Who cares about money right now?" Kirishima rightly dismissed the issue.

"Okay, then Midoriya and Kirishima, you two look through. Iida and I will give you a boost." Todoroki suggested.

Climbing on someone's shoulders on that tight space was no easy task, but, some adjusting aside, that got both Midoriya and Kirishima in position to investigate.

Nothing at first.

The redhead was visibly disappointed as he mumbled about the place just being complete filth.

Then something almost had him falling backwards in surprise.

"What's wrong!? What can you see, Kirishima!?" Todoroki asked as Iida braced the now tense teen on his shoulders.

"In the back left…! Midoriya, look in the back left!" Kirishima hastily handed the night vision scope to Midoriya, whatever he had seen was hard to believe.

Vats, at least a dozen.

"N-no way!" Midoriya stumbled over his own words.

"Are those… all Nomu!?" he finally answered the question that was now apparent among the three that were not looking through that window.

Before any of them could say anything, a loud something coming from the street they were in less than two minutes ago got their attention.

"T-That's…!"

 _*CRASH*_

-.

 **July 23th, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama, League of Villains' Hideout, 2230.**

The awkward, confused silence caused by the sudden knock on the door had now been interrupted.

"SMASH!"

All Might himself busted through the wall of the bar, sending dust and debris flying about the enclosed space.

"What the…!?" Spinner cried out in surprise as he dove away.

"Kurogiri! Gate!" Shigaraki ordered, the League needed to make a run for it, and fast.

All Might quickly gave a wide berth.

Someone swung through the hole.

"Pre-emptive Binding… Lacquered Chain Prison!" a masked man shouted as the branches extending from his arms wrapped around the villains.

"A tree? What the heck?" Dabi scorned, his blue fire now beginning to light up. Wood was just about the least efficient thing to keep him restrained.

Another hero zipped in. Machibuse at least knew this one.

There was barely time for the villains to follow as a blur of white and yellow knocked Dabi out cold.

"Don't be impatient. It'd be in your better interest to stay put." Gran Torino chided as he now took to flying back away from the villains.

"Just as I'd expect from one of the most competent new heroes around, Kamui Woods! And the veteran faster than the eye can see, Gran Torino! You can't run anymore, League of Villains! Why…? Because we are here!" All Might bellowed. It took less than an instant and they had the situation under control.

"Right after that press conference… This was pre-arranged!" Mr. Compress concluded in panic.

"Tree man! Stop pulling me! Push!" Twice shouted as Toga tried to wiggle her way out of the binding.

"When one is on the offensive is when one neglects defense the most." Edgeshot lectured as his paper-thin body passed through the gap in between the bar's door and its doorframe, allowing for him to easily reach for the lock and open the path.

There was what seemed like the whole police force waiting on the other side.

"We are not the only ones here from the Pizza-La Kamino store. Skilled heroes like Endeavor, and the police force have surrounded the building." the Ninja Hero informed as he calmly made his way towards the student once under his care.

"Pizza delivery, Sir? Really?" Machibuse couldn't help but show his surprise about the tactic.

"You'd surprised how well it works, White Rider. What is your condition?" Edgeshot asked.

"Not optimal, but by far not my worst day. Situation was about to take a turn for the worse, my gratitude for the save." Machibuse responded as now All Might turned to him and Bakugo.

"I'm sure you were scared… you two did good bearing it. I'm sorry. Everything will be fine now." Japan's number one offered in a reassuring tone.

"S-SHUT IT! I WASN'T SCARED! NOT EVEN CLOSE, DAMN IT!" Bakugo lashed out. His body language told a completely different history though.

Machibuse was not about to deny that a massive weight got out off his chest just now.

"After all the trouble I went through to prepare all of this… why are you coming to me instead, last boss?" Shigaraki sneered angrily.

He was buying time.

"KUROGIRI! BRING AS MANY AS YOU CAN!" the villain ordered.

"Nomus, I presume?" All Might interjected.

Nothing happened.

Shigaraki was becoming distressed.

"I'm sorry, Shigaraki Tomura. The Nomus that were supposed to be in a fixed location… are not there!" Kurogiri apologized. Machibuse could almost see the mist shaking as their foot soldiers got tampered with somehow.

"Huh?" Shigaraki asked confusedly.

"You are still green, Shigaraki!" All Might spoke as he approached Bakugo.

Another confused grumble escaped from Shigaraki's throat as one of the policemen that now entered the room began cutting the belts binding him to the steel dolly.

"The League of Villains. You underestimate everything too much… be the souls of these two young men, be the diligent investigation of the police, and above all… you underestimate our anger! This is the end of your childish pranks, Shigaraki Tomura!" All Might bellowed the heroes' victory.

"A-All Might! The one hero acknowledged by Stain…!" Spinner yelped. Impressive how not a single phrase of his failed to mention the Hero Killer.

Machibuse just sighed, at least the damage caused by his capture was minimal.

"The end? Don't be ridiculous, I've just begun... Justice… Peace… I will destroy this garbage heap that you put a lid on with such vague ideas! It was for that purpose that I started bringing people to my cause. Don't be ridiculous… this is just the beginning…! Kurogiri!" Shigaraki slowly got up as he spat his angry tantrum.

There was no time for the black mist to do anything. Kurogiri just fell limp over the counter.

Edgeshot went straight through the villain's chest with his Quirk.

"Stop! I couldn't se anything! What, did you just kill him!?" Magne panicked, they lost their escape route.

"He is not dead, I just fiddled around with his insides a little. Ninpo: Thousand Sheet Pierce! This man has always been a nuisance, so he will be taking a nap for the moment." Edgeshot explained as his head sprouted from the red strand that impaled Kurogiri.

"Didn't I tell you earlier that it would be best to stay put? Hikiishi Kenji, Sako Atsuhiro, Iguchi Shuichi, Toga Himiko, Bubaigawara Jin. With so little information and time, the police officers worked day and night to uncover your true identities. There is nowhere left to run." Gran Torino informed. The villains had been caught.

The old hero approached Shigaraki with care, taking a moment to speak.

"I assume you have already found their other hideout. The missing member from the Pussycats, Ragdoll, is there." Machibuse informed as the policeman helping him finished freeing his legs, now it was just a matter of freeing cutting the bindings over his chest and opening the jacket.

"Yes, a second team is there at the warehouse, Ragdoll is already under our care… Now, Shigaraki, can I ask where your boss is?" Gran Torino gave the student a short nod before turning towards Shigaraki with a hard tone.

"This… this is unsatisfying… Don't be ridiculous… Don't be ridiculous!" Shigaraki began muttering angrily.

"Where is he right now?" All Might demanded.

Machibuse observed the scene with care. Apparently the heroes, at least Gran Torino and All Might knew about someone guiding Shigaraki's actions from behind the scenes.

His eyes shot wide with a realization that came a moment too late as All Might now shouted Shigaraki's name.

"He is at the warehouse with the Nomus! Get everyone out of there!" Machibuse shouted. Now it all made sense, the masked man that had tormented him since his capture… He was the one Shigaraki called sensei.

All Might and Gran Torino got visibly distressed.

"I HATE YOU!" Shigaraki cried out in anger.

Masses of swirling gray liquid sprouted from thin air besides the villain. And them from the ceiling, and then from all over the bar.

"Nomus!? They are coming from nowhere!" Kamui Woods was taken aback in surprise.

"Edgeshot, what about Kurogiri!?" Gran Torino asked worriedly, things were escalating fast.

"He is still unconscious! Wasn't his Quirk!" Edgeshot informed as he probed the villain for a reaction.

"Kamui Woods! Don't let them go under any circumstance!" All Might ordered.

"What the…!" Bakugo managed to speak as the same gray stuff now gushed out from his mouth.

Machibuse now trashed against his bindings, suffering the same fate.

Both disappeared into thin air.

"NOOO!"

-.

 **July 23th, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama, Streets of Kamino, 2233.**

The dust had settled.

Midoriya, Iida, Yaoyorozu, Kirishima and Todoroki slowly got back on their feet.

The heroes had breached the warehouse, the situation was put under control as fast as it had started.

"Mt. Lady and Gang Orca… even the number four hero, Best Jeanist, is there!" Kirishima was quick to climb back into the first pair of shoulders available to see what just happened.

"Even Mr. Tiger is in there!" Yaoyorozu pointed out, using Midoriya's shoulders to give her a boost.

In the end their rescue mission had been unnecessary. The kidnaped students weren't even there but ,according to what the heroes had been talking, this problem was already being handled as well.

"The heroes were already moving way before we even started… Let's fall back. There is nothing for us to do here now." Iida spoke with a great deal of relief in his voice.

"She said something about All Might… does that mean those two are with him?" Midoriya pondered.

"If All Might is there, then there's even more reason to rest easy. Now, hurry!" Yaoyorozu couldn't help but smile, everything went much better than any of them had possibly planned.

The five agreed, it was just a matter of time now.

Then Midoriya stopped, he had heard something.

"Sorry, Tiger. She always had a good Quirk. It was the perfect opportunity, so I took it." a muffled voice came from the warehouse.

The place wasn't silent by any means, but that voice somehow just drowned everything.

"After my body turned into this I had to deplete a lot of what I had stocked up…" the voice continued.

"Stop! Don't move!" Gang Orca demanded.

Best Jeanist wasn't about to fire a warning shot.

"Wait, Best Jeanist! What if he is just an ordinary citizen!?" Mt. Lady interjected, worried about the sudden attack.

"Think about the situation. That instant of hesitation could decide this fight. We can't let the villains do anything!" Japan's number four stated firmly, his Fiber Quirk now tightening his hold on the mysterious man that had approached them.

It was over in an instant.

Nothing remained of the front of the warehouse, or of the two next city blocks in that direction.

The sounds of falling debris and alarms going off filled the air.

The five students were physically unharmed, but that man, no… that force of nature, had them all frozen in dread.

Midoriya was doing his best to not vomit out of fear. That man…

"Tomura had finally started thinking and making decisions for himself… I honestly wished that you wouldn't have gotten in his way." the villain's voice alone sent all five into picturing their deaths at that very moment.

All For One.

He clapped his hands, a sign of recognition as he slowly floated towards Best Jeanist, who was left sprawled on the floor, trembling.

"As expected from the number four hero, Best Jeanist. I thought I'd blown everyone away. To be able to manipulate everyone's clothing to drag them to the side in just that split second. That quick decision making… that skill… you must have nerves of steel." All For One praised honestly.

The sound of another blast of pressure filled the air.

Best Jeanist tried to push forth and fight.

Out. Possibly dead.

"I see… This strength comes from such a huge amount of practice and experience. I don't need yours. It's a Quirk that doesn't go with Tomura's disposition." All For One concluded, he had used just a finger to take out Japan's top four.

The five students on the other side of the ruined wall couldn't even believe what was happening, every cell of their bodies screaming for them to run, but they simply couldn't move.

Then a familiar voice came from the villain's side of the wall.

"Damn it… the hell!?" Bakugo's voice came through as he coughed the thick liquid out of his system. He was followed by the sound of something metallic hitting the ground.

"Where the fuck are we now?" Machibuse groaned, the night sky being the only thing in his immediate line of sight. He was still tied to the dolly and the uneven terrain caused him to fall backwards.

"Sorry for that, Bakugo-kun, Machibuse-kun." All For One addressed the two as the members of the League of Villains now appeared from pools of liquid one by one.

None had enjoyed the trip.

"You failed again, huh, Tomura? But do not be discouraged. Just try again… I have brought your associates as well, and even the children you judged to be important pieces… Do it over as many times as you need it. That's why I am here, its all for you." All For One pushed his pupil onwards, offering a helping hand.

Another stalemate now took place. On the other side of the wall, unknown to the villains, Iida and Yaoyorozu were holding back their classmates. Midoriya had just given his first shaky step, but the two would not allow harm to come to the group.

Momo had her mind going a million miles per hour. Hakuba, _her Hakuba_ , was so close! And she couldn't do nothing!

"You are here after all…" All For One spoke calmly.

All Might crashed down into his guard less than a second after that.

The very ground shook.

"I will have you return everything, All For One!" All Might shouted.

"Have you come to kill me again, All Might?" All For One mocked.

The two clashing combatants bounced off each other, the sheer force of the impact rising the dust once more as wind blew everyone back.

"E-even All Might!?" Midoriya was in shock behind the wall that miraculously still stood behind them, this had been the first time someone pushed the number one hero away like this.

"You are pretty late. It's a little more than five kilometers from the bar to here. It was easily thirty seconds after I sent the Nomus before you arrived. You have gotten much weaker, All Might." All For One continued to taunt.

"What about you? What's with that industrial looking mask you've got on? Aren't you overextending yourself? I will not make the same mistake I made six years ago, All For One! I will take my students back! And this time, I will throw you in prison for sure! Alongside all of the villains you control!" All Might responded to the challenge, charging forward towards his nemesis.

"So much to do! It will be tough for both of us!" All For One laughed before blasting the hero away into the buildings.

"ALL MIGHT!" Bakugo shouted as he now realized the scale of the attack he had just witnessed.

" _This is just insanity…"_ Machibuse gritted his teeth, trying to somehow wiggle away from his confines.

"Even without your concerns he will be fine. It would be too easy if he died with just that. Tomura, escape from here, take the children with you." All For One ordered, his fingers extending into the black tendrils Machibuse recognized as the ones used to forcibly activate Quirks. The villain explained how his own teleportation would not suffice and how he had just gotten it.

All For One had a Quirk that allowed him to steal Quirks. That much was now clear given how he commented about his current "combination" not too long ago.

Soon Kurogiri's unconscious form arched back, casting a portal to somewhere unknown. It was the League's escape ticket.

"Now, go!" All For One ordered.

"What about you…?" Shigaraki asked worriedly.

The sounds of All Might blasting back towards the villains was the answer he needed.

"Think constantly, Tomura! You still have much more room to grow!" All For One exclaimed as he turned to fight All Might.

That was a battle bound to enter history books: every blow filled the air with power, every dodge seemed to be choreographed to happen at the last moment.

"Shigaraki! Lets go while the masked gentleman is holding All Might back! Get your pieces!" Mr. Compress called out as he picked up the unconscious Dabi within a marble.

The two students immediately got even more tense. With Machibuse still tied up, Bakugo was left in a one versus six situation, and their rescue was still five kilometers away. The villains now were in a much more desperate situation, that meant that they would use a lot of force to subdue Bakugo.

"Get out of here!" Machibuse shouted, desperately trying to somehow break free from his restraints. He knew that he was an easy target in his situation, all it was needed to take him was a moment for Mr. Compress to close in.

"Shut the hell up, Pinprick! I'm not leaving you behind!" Bakugo shouted back, now closing towards his classmate as to try to keep the villains away.

"Bakugo, it's not the time for that! You can just fly out of here! Just leave, please!" Machibuse pleaded, noticing Mr. Compress slipping behind Bakugo's garrison around the dolly.

Quickly he slammed both his feet on the ground and pushed himself as far as he could. The awkward position and the handles to his cart dragging against the soft dirt limited his range of movement much more than expected, but at least this time he managed to dodge.

"I'm going!" All Might shouted as he dashed towards his students.

His movement however was cut short.

"You know I won't let you. That's why I am here." All For One interjected as his black tendrils dug onto the hero's back, forcing All Might prone before throwing him away.

Bakugo winced in pain as a blade thrown by Toga bit into his tight. The situation was quickly becoming more and more severe.

" _Guess that this is it…"_ Machibuse took a deep breath.

Bakugo landed close to Machibuse once more, clearly favoring one leg over the other now.

The blonde suddenly felt something piercing his skin. A familiar sensation rushed through his veins as his body now burned.

"Payload delivered." Machibuse informed with a bloodied mouth. He spat the second Chelicera in his mouth.

"Heh, at least warn me before doing this, Pinprick…" Bakugo grinned for a moment, maybe now he had a decent fighting chance.

"Now get out." Machibuse ordered.

"You still spewing this crap about me leaving you behind and…?" Bakugo begun.

"You got forty-five seconds of booster before the adrenaline runs out and the knockout drug kicks in." Machibuse interrupted coldly.

Bakugo, turned confusedly after firing off his first chemical boosted explosion. That one at least packed enough of a punch to make the villain's weary of approaching for a moment.

He was not the only one, behind the wall now all five taken aback by that. Machibuse was forcing Bakugo to leave him behind. Midoriya now had to deal with another wrench being thrown into his hastily put plan.

"I am not worth saving... just go." Machibuse offered, putting up his best efforts into holding his stoic façade up.

"Cut the crap! Of course…" Bakugo spat again in anger, but once more was interrupted.

"Sixteen confirmed kills."

There was an oppressive silence after Machibuse spoke those words. As the truth came to light All Might was left in shock for long enough for his Arch-enemy to swat him away once more. All For One laughed heartily with that reaction.

"I got more blood on my hands in a single night than most of these fools did their whole lives. I am not any better than they are… I am not any better than Chizome-san… I am not worth you risking your life." Machibuse admitted, his mask twitching as he tried to not give in.

All Might now desperately rushed in. His fists locking against One For All's in another stalemate.

"Now now! Let us not interrupt this moment! Your student is finally revealing his true colors! It's not every night we get to see someone singing the truth behind one of the biggest cover-up efforts the military had to put in the last decade!" All For One spoke, his twisted nature reveling in this latest development as he watched All Might expression almost breaking.

Midoriya's plan was just about to be put into action. But now all the five were completely in shock.

" _Would for sure have killed someone other than you."_

Machibuse's words after their fight in the Sports Festival echoed back in Kirishima's head. He had previously thought that Machibuse just needed to kick it up a notch to beat him, but now he had doubts. Had his friend really tried to kill him?

 _"The similarities might run deeper than you think, kid…"_

For Iida, Todoroki and Midoriya what echoed was that single odd line spoken by Stain back in that alleyway in Hosu. Was that true? Had Stain recognized a fellow killer?

And for Yaoyorozu…

Everything.

Everything now fell into place.

The heavy envelope, the other side of him she saw during the Sports Festival, the fear of being watched, the tattoo, the "classified information", the "ghosts of the past"… She finally had learned the truth.

She wanted to curl up and cry. Her skin crawled as she couldn't help but feel sick.

"Now leave me, Bakugo-san… please. I don't want to drag you down with me. I can just take my own life afterwards, this way they are not going to put me to work for their cause." Machibuse spoke once more, the Chelicerae on one of his soles now springing out as he prepared a lethal injection.

"At least it will save me the trouble of changing the tattoo to a seventeen… guess that is the silver lining." Machibuse laughed sadly to himself.

"I still have use for you, young man!" All For One quickly turned towards the bound teenager, the six other villains immediately rushing to resume their assault.

"See you in hell, bucket face." Machibuse spat, the façade now failing as he made peace with his destiny.

Midoriya was the one to realize that the window they had to act was about to close. He needed to push forward. Everyone needed to push now, the hardest they ever did.

"T-tell Momo that I am sorry… and that I love her." Machibuse broke, finally saying the words he couldn't say, tears running down as he at least tried to smile as he gathered courage to slam his foot into his own leg and end it all.

The wall came down.

The ice rose towards the night sky.

The battlefield now ceased to act for an instant.

"COME!" Kirishima shouted as Iida and Midoriya carried him up the ramp.

Bakugo acted in a split second, one of his hands firmly grasping the dolly Machibuse was bound to.

"You say that to her face…" he spoke with a mix of confused emotions weighting on his voice as his free hand fired a massive blast that sent the two of them flying towards the rescue party.

The rescue mission was a success.

But at what cost?

-.

 **July 23th, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama, Streets of Kamino, 2250.**

Very few words were exchanged between the students. Kirishima and Iida simply freed Machibuse from his restraints without as much as looking into his eyes while Midoriya called Todoroki to inform about their escape.

"She heard everything, didn't she?" Machibuse asked. The turmoil in his mind apparent.

The silence was everything he needed to clear any doubts.

The crowded street didn't even bother him anymore, Machibuse simply walked away from his… classmates.

"Friends" was a little to much right now, that was another issue entirely.

He just slumped against a wall, sliding to the ground and hugging his knees as the four now stared at him for a moment just to make sure he wasn't going anywhere. Machibuse had lied about giving Bakugo a knockout drug, it was just something he thought up on the spot to get Bakugo to leave him behind. The blonde was tired, sure, but far from what Machibuse originally informed.

The fight between All Might and All For One now had their attention.

The backstreets of Kamino were reduced to rubble at this point, that battle was simply unreal.

Then there was another blast.

All Might was nowhere to be seen.

Where he once stood now was frail looking man, beaten and bloodied.

The crowd was completely lost as they tried to understand what happened.

Midoriya's back tensing gave it away: that skeleton of a man was All Might. All secrets were coming out on that night.

Machibuse dropped his head, hiding his eyes away as he quietly joined in the crowd cheering for All Might to win. He did it so timidly because now he didn't feel worth of even saying a hero's name out loud.

The hopeful voices filled the street.

A brief glimpse towards the screen allowed Machibuse to see Edgeshot and Endeavor joining the fight, but soon another blast came from the battlefield. There was a moment of silence.

Then the two forces clashed in a final showdown.

All For One wanted to take down the Symbol of Peace, the one who punched away all evil, with a punch of his own.

It ended in an instant, a massive tornado hiding away the view.

No one dared to make a sound as the dust settled.

The skeletal All Might stood victorious over the villain, his arm slowly reaching for the sky as he transformed back into the paragon people used to know.

All For One had been defeated.

Even the broken Machibuse now shot up to his feet, his voice joining up with the crowd as he cheered for the hero who saved them all.

Perhaps something else still had the chance to be saved as well…

-.

 **July 24th, Kanagawa Prefecture, Yokohama, Streets of Kamino, 0530.**

Thankfully it wasn't a cold night in Kamino. The country basically had stopped and there was no way to get anywhere.

"Next… Next it's your turn."

The crowd once more cheered as All Might's closing statement was echoed by the speakers transmitting the coverage on the rescue efforts.

Something was off.

Bakugo turned away as if something burned him… Midoriya was simply stunned by that statement.

Machibuse wanted to ask, but at that moment he still didn't felt like speaking to any of them. What scared him the most now was what Iida had just proposed, to meet up with Todoroki and Yaoyorozu.

Didn't take long for the group to finally come together once more. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu had already found someone from the police force to take care of the hostages that had set motion to those events.

It had happened in the worst possible way. The door to his proverbial room wasn't only pried open; the whole doorway had been blown off.

Now it was a matter of damage control… maybe, just maybe there would be a chance. It would be painful, but Hakuba could stomach losing his friends. Things with them would be eventually cleared out, right? Kirishima was a nice guy, so were Midoriya and Iida. Todoroki and Bakugo were strong headed enough to understand.

Who mattered now was Momo.

She had a confused, pained expression as she reluctantly gave the first steps towards Hakuba.

Hakuba swallowed hard and prepared.

Hope still lingered in his heart.

 _*SMACK*_

Her hand connected sharply with the side of his face.

"Monster…" tears ran down her cheeks, her heart wringing out in pain.

Momo stormed out, leaving the group as she made her way towards the train station.

It was over.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: And finally it comes to light. After thirty-five chapters I am pleased to say that next time we begin the origin arc.**_

 _ **Hope it was worth the wait.**_

 _ **See you next time.**_


	36. Gathering Clouds: Gathering Strength

_**So, a little later than usual for my updating schedule. Blame it on Capcom, I just got back into Monster Hunter World and you all can guess that I might have hunted one too many things to get myself a cool hat.**_

 _ **This one is going to play out a little different than the rest. The lyrics are Asazaki Ikue's Obokuri-Eeumi.**_

 _ **NINJA EDIT: If you read this chapter upon release and found something odd then you might wanna jump down to the end of chapter notes.**_

-.

 **July 24th, Machibuse Residence, 1220.**

Hell.

Machibuse had arrived home around four hours ago, accompanied by a security team from the Ministry of Defense that likely had the building on lockdown. Everything was just how he left, and that meant that his bed still had to be replaced, a task he had postponed much like how he had yet to assemble the desk on his room or replace the floorboards he had ruined and now were hidden underneath a rug.

But having to sleep on the couch wasn't what kept him awake.

He was exhausted, both physically and mentally, yet he felt absurdly restless.

His life had turned back into hell once again.

Once again he had turned into a pawn in a political game he had no stakes in.

The League had escaped, and they knew his secret. The original cover-up had costed his grandmother her position as minister, and even if the ministry's resources were still available there was no way to ensure that the information would not leak. It was just a matter of time for it all to come down.

If anything it was now clear that it wasn't All For One, or anyone connected to the League for that matter, pulling the strings behind what happened. They wanted cooperation in exchange for information. Shigaraki wanted Machibuse as part of his core group; it would require too much effort on the League's end to feed the teen with believable information that excused them while keeping him so close.

The League had gained a massive leverage on him, on his grandmother and on the military as a whole. No wonder the Ministry of Defense wanted to keep tabs on him, it was a scandal primed to drag a lot of important people down. His sixteen ghosts now turned him into a walking time bomb.

And he would need to bear the burden alone.

He was trying to keep _her_ out of his mind. The pain on his cheek had already disappeared long ago, but it was still hurting. Everything was hurting.

Machibuse quickly got up from the couch, he felt his Chelicerae ready to tear holes into the cushion.

Eyes now veered towards what was _her_ side of the couch.

Suddenly he felt as if that couch had become an eyesore. They had shared their first kiss there.

He forced his eyes shut and took a couple of deep breaths.

It wasn't like his grandmother hadn't made precautions in case he needed to get off the radar. An offshore bank account, some fake documents… the number of people who knew about his ability to slowly change his appearance with consecutive doses of his Quirk was limited to his grandmother and some old honchos on the upper bracket of the military that were still her supporters… plus the girls from 1-A, Kaminari and Mineta.

At least now that he didn't needed to worry about leaving _her_ behind it would be easy to just run away and hide. He would disappear, first back to Okinawa, and then… anywhere. Somewhere far where his secrets would not harm him or those he cared for.

But he needed to do something first.

One last time.

…

 _In search of a new land_

 _Let's build a new house_

 _By neatly gathering hay_

 _To thatch the roof_

 _By neatly gathering hay_

 _Neatly gathering hay_

 _To thatch the roof_

-.

 **July 24th, Tokyo, Streets of Shinjuku, 1600.**

Shoji Mezo's day had been on the duller side up until now. He calmly made his way from Shinjuku Station to the house where he had rented a room, coming back from the hospital and finally freed from the bandages that had his arms bound since after the attack on the summer camp.

There was basically nothing on the news besides the showdown that happened in Kamino last night, but he wasn't all that worried about his friends and their crazy plan because a message from Iida had arrived in the early hours of the morning, saying that the two kidnapped students had been secured safely and had been left in the custody of the police. Both had been wounded, but according to the message it wasn't anything too serious.

Still, Shoji had a feeling in his gut. Things would change a lot, not only for U.A., but for society as a whole.

Second semester was going to be busy.

Soon enough Shoji had arrived at the house where he was a tenant, a simple two-stories building as he wasn't one to need much.

"Ah, Shoji-kun! There you are! Everything in order with your arm? …Arms?" a voice came from down the hallway as he made his way inside. The landlord was a man in his late fifties, had a Quirk that made him look like a crocodile. A bit too chatty every once in a while but was a kind man.

Shoji simply responded by sprouting and extra hand from his previously bandaged arm, which he then used to give the man a thumbs up.

"Good to see… anyways, had to get into your room while you were out. Guess you forgot your cellphone, someone has been calling you non-stop for the last two hours or so. Left the little noise machine tucked inside your futon." the man told, clearly more annoyed than troubled.

"My cellphone? Mine has been with me the whole day." Shoji informed as he used his extra hand to fish the device in his pocket.

Both just were left in a confused silence for a moment.

Then a heavily muffled music got their attention.

Tsugaru music.

"There it goes again…" the landlord quirked an eyebrow.

"Guess I know what the problem is. Sorry for the inconvenience." Shoji bowed lightly as he made a beeline to his room.

Machibuse's bag ended up coming home with him after the attack on the summer camp, his cellphone came along.

With a sigh he picked up the device that he had failed to turn off over the last few days. Shoji didn't know the password, and even if he did, Machibuse had the damn thing set up in Okinawan. Shoji knew his friend was a morning person, but the seven AM alarms were not something he really welcomed on his summer break from school.

If the katakana were the same there in Okinawa then it was easy enough to tell that Yaoyorozu was calling… and looked like she had called a total of forty-three times already.

That definitely did not bode well.

Shoji picked up the call.

" _Hakuba! Finally! I'm…"_ Yaoyorozu basically cried over the phone.

"Yaoyorozu, it's me." Shoji interrupted.

" _O-oh… Shoji-san…"_ Yaoyorozu stuttered in realization.

Both were silent for a while.

"You sound distressed." Shoji pointed out.

Yaoyorozu didn't even know where to begin, she couldn't just tell Shoji why she was so apprehensive. He would ask, and one question would lead to another.

"What goes on between the two of you is not my business, but something is clearly very wrong. What happened?"

" _Hakuba and I… no, it's all my fault, I ruined everything. I need to talk with him."_ Yaoyorozu admitted painfully.

Shoji took a deep breath. Once again he was doing their marriage counseling, and this time Jiro wasn't there to share the burden.

"Give me a few minutes, I going to his house."

-.

 **July 24th, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, Yaoyorozu Estate, 1615.**

It took Momo longer than she'd like to admit to put the phone down. Yet she still looked apprehensively at it, waiting for it to ring.

She was having what had been arguably the worst day of her life. The trip from Kamino to her house took just under three hours, luckily the train wasn't too crowded for most of the ride so she managed to get a small amount of shut eye on the way. Somehow she managed to avoid her parents making too many questions, specially as her mother began asking about Hakuba.

Momo had only realized she was still wearing his dog tags when she reached her bathroom, she almost ripped the offending accessory from her neck on sight but stopped as she felt the ball chain tensing…

Hakuba had kept everything from her, his past actions and how deeply those actions affected him and those around him. He was murderer not unlike the Hero Killer, no wonder he was always seeming unease when Stain's name came up… even that, Hakuba referred to Stain by his given name, and that had brought up even more questions to Momo's mind.

And then, when he realized that his secret was in peril he decided that ending his own life was a better option than dealing with the consequences.

Hakuba was not only a killer, but a stone cold one given both what she witnessed at the Sports Festival and a very concerning message she received from Kendo while she was still waiting to regroup with her classmates after they got separated during the rescue. But… Momo still felt torn. She couldn't push away the feeling that she had made a terrible mistake.

He had tried to tell her who… what he really was. Perhaps there was something else he wanted her to know, perhaps if they had pushed it back on the day he offered her the truth then things would have played out differently.

Momo finally had gone through the contents of that envelope, but only part of it, actually. When Hakuba said that there was a lot packed in there he wasn't joking: U.A. documents, things related to the rental of his current apartment, costume drafts and even family photos.

The thing that accounted for most of the weight inside that envelope however was a dossier on the incident regarding the JDS Murakumo four years ago. A military ship that sank after a critical engine failure caused the hull to be torn open, taking the lives of eighty-seven of the one hundred and forty-six passengers aboard.

Momo was shocked to find out about two things:, Hakuba was one of the survivors of the Murakumo and that there was no truth the engine failure history that made to the news. It was all a cover-up for something far worse.

What happened on that day was an act of terrorism.

About half-way through the dossier Momo found something that almost broke her. This happened about two and a half hours ago now. This one little thing, completely out of place lost those papers was what made her realized the extent of the damage she caused and had her to start calling Hakuba's number non-stop.

The screen of her notebook displayed the audio player program, paused at 00:07 of the roughly minute long audio file stored in an old micro SD card she found inside the dossier, likely the thing ended up in there by accident as time went on and the contents of the envelope shifted around with movement.

Momo could only stare at the screen as she awaited for a call that might never come, nervously fidgeting with the dog tags still around her neck. That call was already taking painfully longer than she hoped.

With a drawn-out breath she got up and made way to her bathroom once more. If for some reason Shoji couldn't get Hakuba to speak to her over the phone then she needed to be ready to set out to meet Hakuba personally.

She now carefully took the dog tags off before proceeding with turning on the shower, just as she began undressing the sound of her phone ringing called her.

Shoji was calling.

Momo quickly ran back to pick it up.

" _Machibuse is missing! There are about a dozen government people on his building and they only noticed him missing when I asked to get in!"_

-.

 **Ninety Minutes Ago, July 24th, Tokyo, Edgeshot Hero Agency, 1445.**

Machibuse calmly reached the imposing building that was Edgeshot's agency. Been a while since his last visit, but it sure felt like yesterday as he remembered his first day there.

With a sigh he pulled down the hood that masked his identity, as well as the plain surgical mask he had acquired on the way. Discretion was vital to his current mission as what he was currently doing effectively made him accountable for breaking the chain of command, but if this was really his last day before leaving then it mattered very little.

There were people who made this venture worth, and Machibuse wanted to at least say his thanks.

At least things in the agency seemed to be going as usual other than there were no reporters for a change, likely every news agency in Japan had their people covering the aftermath of the battle in Kamino. And as usual the Mazekeepers got a small smile on his face.

"Young White Rider! Glad to see you safe and sound…"

"…always a pleasure to see you, but what brings you around?"

Machibuse couldn't deny he was still absolutely clueless as to how those two did that; Kamihara had told him that the two were actually Quirkless, so that ruled out the possibility of some telepathy related Quirk allowing them to perform like that.

"I just wanted to thank Edgeshot. He is already back from daytime patrol, right?" Machibuse asked, his eyes focusing on the lift in between the desks for a moment.

Both the receptionists reached for their chins as if scratching their non-existent beards before looking at one another.

"The boss is here. In fact he just got back, you got that timing right…

"…but he has just begun a meeting with the police, discussing about last night."

"A lot has happened in Kamino, you know that better than any of us. That was quite a bind…

"…he will likely be done in an hour, so please, wait here if you don't mind."

Machibuse pondered for a second, but that was too much of a risk. The police knew he was not supposed to be walking around, at least not without an escort, and regardless of the police spotting him his mission was tight on time. He had made his escape through the balcony and climbed up just as the guy that checked on him periodically left, from the rooftop was easy to reach the side of the building opposite to his apartment and leap onto the adjacent building. If the check-ups were really every following the pattern he had noted then the guards would sound the alarm in about one hundred and twenty minutes.

"I am afraid I don't have much time today, not supposed to be out for long given what happened yesterday." Machibuse responded, slightly downcast. He had already given up on visiting Shoji, opting for simply leaving a note for him on his desk: A simple, honest "Thank you." would be enough between them, and having to escape Shoji in case he found out about this whole plan was a risk he couldn't take. He also had resigned to just go to U.A. as his next stop to have a final look at it, there was no way for him to be able to speak with Principal Nezu or any of his teachers without getting caught.

He didn't know where Shinso lived, and Hatsume was likely all the way back in Kyoto.

And visiting Chizome had been completely of the table from the very start.

With a sigh Machibuse decided to take his leave.

"Just tell Kamihara-san that I am very grateful… for everything."

…

 _At the stone walls_

 _Let's celebrate the golden house_

 _That was built_

 _By a hundred carpenters_

 _That was built_

 _Was built_

 _By a hundred carpenters_

-.

 **July 24th, Machibuse Residence, 1625.**

" _What!? Missing!?"_ Yaoyorozu responded in clear panic.

It had taken Shoji some solid ten minutes just to convince the people guarding the building to let him speak with his friend, luckily he had brought Machibuse's bag with him, and his U.A. student ID was in there to back up his argument. He was greeted by an empty apartment when he got in alongside one of the guards.

"He escaped somehow! Must've climbed through the window or something!" Shoji answered over the phone, multiple eyes and ears sprouting from his extra limbs as he tried to find any clues.

The security personnel was absolutely at loss, they made sure to have every possible access to the street covered. One of them was calling people non-stop over the radio, others were quick to form groups to begin scanning the area.

"Kid! You said your name was Shoji, right? He left something for you!" one of the guards quickly called Shoji, handing him a folded piece of paper with his name written on it.

" _Shoji-san! What happened!?"_ Yaoyorozu asked, overhearing the conversation.

Shoji took a moment to respond. All his extra limbs retreating back slowly as he stared at the paper.

"He is gone."

-.

 **July 24th, Musutafu General Hospital, 1625.**

By now Machibuse was sure both the Ministry and the police were searching for him, he would need to be quick. He still had one last stop after this one.

Last time he had seen his Lieutenant she had been in critical state, unconscious from the gas wielded by the villain Kendo and Tetsutetsu had defeated. He had to at least check up on her condition.

Luckily enough the receptionist at the hospital didn't asked too many questions before telling him which room he had to go to.

Machibuse was luckier to have spotted detective Tsukauchi and Gran Torino coming down the hallway before they spotted him, both were very weary from last night, and Gran Torino's bandaged eye gave the teen a blind spot large enough for him to sneak past once the detective turned his head.

Likely there were more people from the police in the hospital, it was just a matter of time.

Soon Machibuse reached room 409. A quick knock on the door announced his presence before he made his way in.

Jiro was still asleep, by her side on a chair was a woman in her mid-thirties, and Machibuse didn't even needed to notice how she also had the Earphone Jack Quirk to realize it was the Lieutenant's mother.

Machibuse bowed lightly in respect.

"You are one of Kyoka's classmates, aren't you?" the woman asked, remembering seeing Machibuse's face on the news recently.

"Affirmative." Machibuse responded as he approached.

"How is she?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"She regained consciousness earlier this morning, just resting now… We are just waiting for some results on the last exams she went through today, maybe she doesn't even need to spend the night here if she feels better after waking up." the woman responded as she eyed her daughter tenderly.

That got a legitimate smile on Machibuse's face and a massive weight of his chest.

"You were one of the kidnaped students, right? U.A. said that you were the one that treated Kyoka and the other kids… she likely wouldn't have made it without your help." his Lieutenant's mother informed, bowing her head in gratitude as she spoke.

Machibuse calmly reached for the sleeping girl, ruffing her hair playfully without waking her up before turning to leave.

"Ma'am, please tell the Lieutenant to keep the shamisen if I don't come back for it. Captain's orders."

…

 _August draws near_

 _But I have nothing to wear_

 _I want to dress up_

 _Brothers, lend me a sleeve_

 _I want to dress the children and those I love_

 _With the single kimono I own_

 _I will wear vines_

 _That I picked deep within the mountains_

-.

 **July 24th, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya,** **Yagoto Cemetery, 1800.**

Momo ran.

She knew where Hakuba had escaped to.

It was all her fault. She betrayed him, that had been the most crucial moment to him and she pushed him away on impulse.

It was all her fault that he was leaving.

As Momo turned the corner she spotted a familiar face.

"So you have come." Machibuse Hakame spoke as she calmly watched the steps that lead to the hill where Hakuba's parents were from inside the black SUV she was in, smoke from her cigarette puffing alongside her words.

Momo didn't responded immediately, taking the pause to catch her breath.

"Fura called me from a public phone a few minutes after I was informed that he escaped. He is already set on leaving." Hakame informed, not bothering with keeping her façade up.

"To where? For how long?" Momo asked, barely keeping herself from crying.

"The United States is a little too obvious of a choice, and because of his actions during the I-Island Incident, namely using his Quirk on both Professor David Shield and on his assistant, the American authorities now have an entry on him… so likely it will be to Australia. Sparsely populated, calm, and he will be right at home with the spiders and snakes. Can't really say for how long, dear… could be for a year, two or he might never come back altogether." Hakame answered, now opening the door and stepping outside.

Reality was hitting hard now.

"Why are you letting him do this?" Momo posed another question, Hakame was clearly torn about the decision.

"Because this is all my fault. When I lost my son I promised myself that I would support whatever Hakuba decided to do with his life. I am the only family he has left, and I am already old… if I can do something for him before he is left truly alone then I will do it wholeheartedly." the elder admitted painfully.

Momo couldn't help but reach for the woman's hand.

"I really can't understand why you are so rough with him when you care so much about him…" she chuckled, lightly squeezing Hakame's hand.

"That's because it's easier for him to not blame himself if he can blame me without remorse, Fura is a little too self-sacrificing for his own good… Now go bring him back, for both of us." Hakame smiled, gently ushering Momo towards the stairs.

Momo took a deep breath and took the first step of the many she would need to reach the tombstones. The sun was already very low on the horizon, her only guess was that Hakame somehow got the cemetery staff to keep the doors open up until Hakuba decided to leave.

At first she had made her way up in a hurry, but the more she climbed the more she felt nervous.

But she had to push through.

She had to show Hakuba that he wasn't alone.

Momo now could see the naked tree that oversaw both tombstones.

There he was, sitting in silence with his legs crossed, as if waiting for the stones to tell him what to do.

"Suppose I have become predictable. Not a luxury I can afford now." Hakuba spoke without averting his gaze from the tombstones, clearly attempting to keep his voice and expression as neutral as possible as she approached.

He was hurting. Badly.

"Far from that… I just know you." Momo offered as she approached reluctantly.

"Now you most definitely do. Coward, murderer… monster." Hakuba's brow furrowed as he swallowed hard. His eyes finally turning towards her, a silent warning for her to not come closer.

Momo would have to choose her next words very carefully. It was the first time in her life someone had looked at her with eyes like those; there was no anger or bitterness, it was just plain dejection.

"Sorry Hakuba, I shouldn't have…" she began, now firmly rooted to her spot.

"Please don't be. You shouldn't feel sorry for speaking your mind. Now I would greatly appreciate if you left me alone like I deserve to be, _Ma'am._ " Hakuba interrupted, now returning his eyes to the two tombstones he had come to visit. The demand punctued with the addressing rather than her name carrying echoed in the still air of that empty cemetery.

Still Momo refused to back away.

Rather, she stepped forward.

"This demand is not up to debate." Hakuba warned, still fixed on his spot but now visibly tensing up.

Momo kneeled behind him, her arms carefully wrapping around his shoulders as she pulled him back slowly.

"Leave." Hakuba's tone was getting much more intense now as she was forced to stop for a moment, the Chelicerae on his upper back pressed threateningly against her chest.

Momo just pulled him further without hesitation, the weapons back into his spine pulled back as if they were aware of who they were about to harm, retracting once the smallest pressure was put onto their tips.

"I'm not leaving you alone… not again…" Momo sobbed lightly, leaning her forehead against the back of his skull before nuzzling tenderly against his hair.

"Why?" Hakuba asked, his body stiff as piece of rebar from that contact but somehow she still guided him to her embrace without resistance.

"I was so scared I couldn't move at first, everything was happening so fast… then it all crashed when you begun forcing Bakugo-san to leave you behind… When I heard you speaking the truth… and then you said that taking your own life would be the solution… I… I couldn't take it, Hakuba…" Momo responded amidst the sobs she tried to keep down, now resting her head on his shoulder while still holding him tight.

Hakuba just remained silent as she slowly loosened her hold, one of her arms now reaching into her handbag for something. Something cold touching his neck caused him to shudder a little.

His dog tags.

"I guess that I always knew that it would happen someday… something bad would happen to you and I would be too weak to just be there for you when you needed me the most… and now I made you hate me because of it." she continued, her hands and fingers trembling, making it near impossible for her to clasp the ball chain around his neck.

Her last attempt fumbled, the small steel beads escaping from her grasp and sending the dog tags down to the ground after bouncing off Hakuba's lap. Momo was just left muttering to herself about how she kept screwing things up as she reluctantly leaned on his back once more.

Hakuba remained still as the tombstones, idly reading the information displayed on the tags. His silence was becoming absolutely goring.

His back as now beginning to feel wet.

She was crying.

He still didn't react.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry for leaving! I'm sorry for pushing you away! I'm sorry calling you a monster! I am supposed to support you and I did the exact opposite…" Momo wailed, her arms crossing over his chest holding him like a lifeline.

"I love you, Hakuba… I love who you are, and what was inside that envelope doesn't change that…" Momo confessed in tears.

"So you finally read it." Hakuba finally broke his silence. He still didn't turn to face her, but instead he held both ends of the ball chain for her to connect around his neck.

"You are much more than what those documents say. You don't deserve to be alone and I don't want to see you leaving because you believe that lie… I'm here for you now." Momo's hands were still shaky, but Hakuba's were steady and making sure that the task he proposed her was successful.

"And what will happen when my ghosts catch up with me? You know what I am, and I know you will never fully accept it." Hakuba asked, bitterness now clear on his voice.

"If that happens then you will not face them alone… it's not about what you are, Hakuba. It's not about if I accept what you did or not. I fell in love for who you are, I just want to finally understand this side of you... so this never happens again." Momo responded, finally clasping the dog tags back where they were supposed to be.

"You know that there is no telling on what can happen now that the League knows my secrets, don't you? It will also fall upon you and everyone else around me, and I can't allow myself to drag everyone down." Hakuba warned, partially turning to face her.

A small detail on that phrase got Momo's expression to twitch slightly. Hakuba had just said "secrets", a plural... there was something else she didn't knew. She couldn't deny that now she felt even more apprehensive.

Hakuba unfortunately for her was a little too keen on picking up on those things.

He took a deep breath.

"You called me a monster." Hakuba decided to take the conversation back to the issue at hand, Momo had lost too much, if not all, of his trust for him to tell her about his relationship with Chizome right now.

"I know I did... I just want to go back in time and call myself a monster now." Momo responded, her eyes locked into the ground in shame.

"I can also imagine that because of what you did now I will have to deal with a lot of questions from the other four that went on that stupid vigilante mission." Hakuba chided her.

"And from Shoji-san... I have not told him anything, but because of me he ended up at your apartment earlier today." Momo admitted, the weight on her shoulders now growing.

"And you still insist that I stay!? For someone trying to not leave me alone, those were some fucking impressive moves you pulled!" Hakuba now turned to face her, his composure finally giving out as an amount of poison he normally reserved for his grandmother seeped into his voice.

Momo just squirmed, taken aback by the outburst.

There was a moment of silence. That had been the first time he had ever lashed out at her like this.

"I'm sorry, Momo..." Hakuba spoke softly as he gently reached for her face, brushing away her tears with his thumb.

He still cared for her deep down, despite everything.

"No, you are right..." Momo admitted, eyes closed as she enjoyed his caress for what could have easily been the last time.

"Just... don't leave. I can help you rebuild those bridges. And maybe if I do, then someday you will want to rebuild the bridge that connected both of us." she added, her voice sad but now at least hopeful.

"You know better than anyone how long I take to trust people, and you have already lost it once." Hakuba warned, pulling his hand back from her cheek much to her dismay.

"I can wait. Take as much time as you want... I swear won't push you like I did last time." Momo accepted her position.

"Then I will tell you everything... every detail of what happened on that night four years ago. If what you feel does not change after what I am about to tell you then… then that will be the first step for me to say that I am not alone."

…

 _The full moon shines_

 _Far and wide like the gods_

 _When my lover comes to visit, I wish the clouds would hide it a little_

…

 _.._

 _._

 _ **AN: Thirty-six chapters in and here am I making a prologue to the OCs backstory. The wonders of storytelling…**_

 _ **This actually was the very first chapter I have ever written for this story, everything came from this one concept and the concept for Hakuba himself comes majorly from Obokuri-Eeumi, which is actually sung in Okinawan dialect and soundtrack to Samurai Champloo's most powerful moment around Mugen (who is a quintessential Okinawan character), and, to a much lesser extent, from RWBY's Like Morning Follows Night. I never actually watched RWBY, but the soundtrack is fucking amazing.**_

 _ **NINJA EDIT - 18 hours after the original upload: So, huh... I just got to reading the reviews for the first time after posting this chapter, and I got really confused about the difficulty of the situation you guys pointed out. It really felt weird because I actually changed the ending quite a bit with that in mind just before posting... turns out that I, amidst one of my bouts of endless wisdom, uploaded the old version instead of the corrected one so there was a bunch of dialogue missing at the end, something around five hundred words. And it is some very important dialogue actually, not only for this chapter to wrap up better but it is something I actually need to estabilish for the progression of the next arcs.**_

 _ **My apologies for that one, will see to not repeat the mistake again.**_


	37. Gathering Clouds: Ghosts

_**So… I kinda busted my hand last week during volleyball practice, and writing got surprisingly harder than I expected it to be. The weekly updates should resume with this one.**_

 _ **I gotta apologize for my mistake regarding the last chapter, I ended up uploading an incomplete version with just the drafted ending. The way a write my stuff is that I make a draft of the whole thing at first and then I go back from top to bottom actually writing the real thing over that draft. Turns out that when it came to saving the finished chapter I created a new document on a random folder instead of replacing the draft, so when the site's Doc Manager popped up I immediately went for the file on this story's folder as usual.**_

 _ **If you haven't yet read the updated version (posted about 18 hours after the original update) I urge you to do so before you continue with this one. Not even kidding when I say that the graveyard bit with Momo is twice as long and actually has some development to it.**_

 _ **Regardless of that… Normally I'd use italic for flashbacks, but I will be breaking my own rule this time for the sake of not posting a whole chapter in italic. Here we are, after five months after I first posted this story, two hundred thousand words in and a fuckton of support from you guys, it finally has arrived: Hakuba's past.**_

 _ **And be warned that this one might feel a tad more graphic than the rest of the story; PEOPLE ARE GOING TO DIE IN THIS CHAPTER.**_

-.

 **Four Years Ago, October 24th, Okinawa Prefecture, Uruma, Camp Courtney, 0600.**

The wind was finally beginning to warm up. Standing in rank and file at the harbor were twenty-five members of the Japanese Special Forces, members of a tightly knit squad that had served together for at least six years, with about a third of those squad members serving together for over a decade. Alongside them were the remainder of the crew, composed of people from the Navy and Medical Corps: the crew in charge of manning the JDS Murakumo. Two figures stood in front of them, a man and a woman whose uniforms differed quite a bit: The man a Navy captain and the woman the squad leader for the Special Forces.

Standing to the side of the platoon and sticking out like a sore thumb was a child dressed in the uniform of Okinawa's Military Academy, his posture impeccable as if he was part of the military body. Machibuse Hakuba, eleven years old and son of the woman in charge of the operation. He was barely containing himself, it would be his first time on a military warship… the thing looked amazing. The JDS Murakumo was a technological wonder, a destroyer escort that, even after eight years of service defending Okinawa, was still considered to be one of the fastest warships in the Pacific.

It was by far the single largest _thing_ Hakuba had ever seen.

"All right ladies and gentlemen! Listen up! Even if we have done millions of escort missions already I don't want to see any of you slacking on the ship! Our schedule is going to be a little different this time around: You all know what we are transporting, but this time we will have some guests joining us midway. Apparently the matter also concerns the South Korean authorities, which means that some of their guys will be joining us as a show of good faith when we dock at Busan, about nineteen hours from departure. From there we go straight to Qingdao, unload what needs to be unloaded and leave the higher-ups to deal with the paperwork. We do this like professionals! I want to be back here before the holiday!" Machibuse Kagome's voice filled the air of the harbor as she stepped forward, addressing her squad in a manner much more personal than what the Murakumo's standard crew was accustomed to.

"YES, MA'AM!" the squad replied in unison.

"Captain Seizo, please consider my men to be at your orders." Kagome spoke as she turned to face the imposing-looking old man behind her, now stepping to the side as to give him the center stage.

"My gratitude Colonel… I will be making her words mine as well!..." the Murakumo's captain begun speaking, detailing the schedule further.

Hakuba's attention slowly drifted back towards the base he was in as the captain spoke. According to what he had been told, Camp Courtney had been founded by the Americans in the years that followed World War II and only had handed to the Japanese in recent decades, mostly because of how Japan had to reinstall it's military after the advent of Quirks. Despite that, both armies had a strong alliance, meaning that most of the signs around the base were still in English and that the "Camp Courtney" name was kept out of respect.

Soon the ship's captain had finished speaking, and now the crew began the preparations for departure and the young Hakuba was quick to turn towards the ramp leading to the massive ship, eagerness visible in his semblance as he waited permission to board.

Approaching him from behind was his mother with a smile in her face, normally she would've made sure to not be noticed, after all being able to remain fully aware of his surroundings was part of Hakuba's training but sneaking on him would likely cause him to stick his Chelicerae out and through his uniform.

"Ready to set sail?" Kagome asked tenderly as she stopped besides her son.

"Can I get on the ship?" Hakuba asked anxiously as he tugged on his mother's sleeve.

"You know our room number, right?" Kagome asked back, scanning around the place for someone from her squad on it's way to the Murakumo.

"Twelve-A!" Hakuba responded immediately.

"All right… Uncle Haritomo looks like he is just about to get on the ship, go see if he needs any help and get aboard with him. You go straight to our room; your father will be there with you in a moment, so wait for him. I don't want you roaming through that ship alone." Kagome explained, kneeling in front of the child before kissing his forehead and ushering him to go.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Hakuba responded with a smile, then he took off.

On the corner of her eyes Kagome could see her husband just finishing speaking with some of his friends from the Medical Corps and turning to join her.

"Told you that he would be happy to come with us." Kagome spoke as Hakaku came closer.

"I do not remember saying he wouldn't be. I just think you went overboard on your alternative to leaving him with my mother while we are away again." Hakaku responded in a deadpan tone, one of his eyebrows arching as he stared at his wife.

"Oh look! Some boxes that need moving!" Kagome simply shifted her eyes away and awkwardly walked away from her husband, a nervous smile coming to her face as her plan was uncovered.

A sigh escaped from Hakaku as he rolled his eyes, it was too early in the morning for him to have that discussion with her. Still, he couldn't deny that having his mother hand-picking Kagome's squad for this mission was suspicious to say the least; Only his presence was essential for the mission, and it wouldn't be too farfetched to picture Hakame using her authority over the Special Forces to send her daughter-in-law away for a couple days in order to spend some time alone with her grandson.

Unfortunately for Hakaku, his mother and his son were becoming more and more averse to each other as Hakame pushed her behavior protocol on the child whenever she had the chance.

Regardless, boxes in fact needed to be moved and he wanted to make it to their small room in the ship as soon as possible and get some shut eye. Hakaku had only slept for about three hours; this whole mission had a lot to do with his research, so he ended up staying up late to get everything ready.

With a deep breath he forced the thoughts about his mother out of his mind. He knew that, despite everything, Hakame cared for her grandson deeply… She was just very, very bad method of displaying her affection.

Hakaku's eyes were fixed on his son for a moment, maybe having him around for the trip wouldn't be so bad.

Hakuba now had just reached the cargo truck where "Uncle Haritomo" was busy fastening the straps around what seemed to be the last wooden crate from that truck that the Special Forces needed to load into the ship. Haritomo Junshou was a towering figure, standing at a massive 6'8'' tall and built like a walking fort even in his mid-sixties. Besides that what stuck out most about Kagome's second in command was the clearly receding hairline on his graying mane, something he was actually very sensible about, and his missing left ear and eye.

Normally a man that would simply leave most children frightened.

But not Hakuba. Hakuba knew very well that his godfather was just about the biggest goofball around, in every sense of the word.

"Hari Oji-san! Need help?" Hakuba offered as he pretty much jumped on the man's back after the running start needed to reach Haritomo's shoulders.

"Ah! Hey there young man! Little Honekawa sent you on my way, didn't she?" the man laughed, not even budging from the impact.

Hakuba gave a firm nod. His godfather was the only person he knew that still called Kagome by her maiden name as he had known her since high-school. Haritomo and Honekawa Yoshiro, Hakuba's grandfather and Kagome's father, served together since their admission at the Special Forces. In a sense he had become Hakuba's grandfather figure; his father's father had died from natural causes about a year before Hakuba was born, and he barely remembered Yoshiro… his grandfather had gone MIA during a mission in South Korea eight years ago and was assumed dead. If anything Hakuba remembered that the man had a Quirk that gave him the ability to grow spear-like bones through his skin and that he had been the one to teach Kagome how to fight. Kagome's mother, Honekawa Ayane, took it pretty bad after that incident and returned to her home in Nagoya. Hakuba and his parents visited her at least once a year, but the woman wasn't very fond of having military guests for too long and had since grown distant.

"Hmm, then do me a favor… all these crates need to have an ID tag on them, but this one's got caught on something when we loaded the truck, so we need to replace it." Haritomo spoke pointing towards a half-ripped adhesive.

"What is in there?" Hakuba asked curiously as he tried to read what remained from the ID tag. That crate had a weird, pungent smell coming from it.

"I dunno… if it's on this truck then it had to do with that research your old man has been doing. Weird sciency stuff, you know… Have no idea why it smells like gym clothes though, but lucky for us getting the smell off the truck is not our business." Haritomo shrugged.

"Smells like pee…" Hakuba commented, a disgusted look on his face.

"Ammonia. Regardless, just find someone that works here at the docks and bring'em here so we can get a new adhesive, the old one still has the ID number visible, so the guy just needs to print a new one for us and stick it on. I will get a forklift in the meantime. Guess I can just carry the thing, but the least I need to touch it the better, don't want that… _perfume_ on my uniform." Haritomo spoke, motioning towards where the harbor staff was likely to be around before turning to look for someone with a forklift.

"Yes, Sir!" Hakuba responded before taking to fulfilling his mission.

Not even fifteen minutes later the crate was both tagged and loaded into the forklift and soon enough Hakuba had entered the massive cargo bay of the Murakumo. With a hasty bow he left his godfather to deal with setting the crate where it was supposed to be and took off to the main deck, just to have a glimpse at it before heading to the room he would share with his parents during the trip.

Every inch of that ship was amazing, and Hakuba knew that the trip would be amazing as well.

-.

 **Four Years Ago, October 24th, In Transit Towards Busan, JDS Murakumo, Canteen, 1210.**

The Special Forces' Squad Six was a lively bunch, that's for sure. Hakuba and his father were just watching the familiar scene as some of the company members took cracks at one another across the table, while others sung silly songs as they ate. One could've mistaken the group for coworkers at any kind of office, enjoying a Friday night at a bar, if they weren't fully dressed in military attire.

For Hakuba it was hard to eat without giggling at the antics in front of him, Hakaku on the other hand had gotten used to it already; he somehow was absorbed into that group's culture over the years.

"Oi, gramps! Is it true that you are retiring when we get back?" Kimura Maiko, a young woman with shoulder length blond hair, asked as she turned towards Haritomo. Kimura was one of the three women in Squad Six, and possibly the youngest member of the group.

"Eh!? You kidding me, right!?" Torayama Koga, a man with a Quirk that made him like a hyena, almost choked on his meal as he was caught by surprise.

"Not right after we get back, but this is likely my last big mission. I've been doing this for over forty years already, it's about time I hang this uniform for good." Haritomo responded, reaching for something on someone else's plate with his chopsticks.

"So, who gets the second-in-command seat after that?" Torayama sighed in acceptance before turning towards Kagome, his tail now wiggling in curiosity.

"Me and Haritomo have already discussed that actually… quite a tough call to pick one of you guys given that you all behave as if you were Hakuba's age most of the time." Kagome teased with a shit-eating grin.

"That was just uncalled for, commander!" Kimura complained as the group once more broke into laughter.

"And what about you, young man? Will you be joining me in our little band over the next years?" the last female of the squad, Akihisa Mikori, asked in her undeniably sultry voice as she leaned her rather large chest on Hakuba's shoulder, causing his cheeks to turn bright red.

"I-I… huh…" Hakuba stuttered.

The boy's mother and Kimura just stared at her endowments for a moment and then down at herselves, the redhead surely was wearing a uniform at least two sizes too small just to add insult to injury. Life was very unfair sometimes.

"Don't you go corrupting the commander's son, Akihasa!" Bo Takayuki protested loudly.

"Oh! Leave me be, monk! Hakuba is just too adorable!" Akihasa spat back, alluring to the man's lustrous shaved head as she wrapped her arms around the boy protectively.

"Damn succubus…" Bo squinted his eyes angrily as the woman now used one of her leathery wings to shield Hakuba from him.

"Stop bickering, you two! The people from the Navy will start thinking that we are crazy!" Haritomo laughed heartily as he watched his godchild trying not to look at the woman pressed against him.

"I am sure that they already think that." Hakaku observed in a monotone voice, people all over the canteen had been staring at them for a while now.

Yes, Squad Six was a very lively bunch.

-.

 **Four Years Ago, October 24th, In Transit Towards Busan, JDS Murakumo, Bridge, 1630.**

"Is the little one enjoying the trip, Doctor?" Captain Seizo asked as he spotted Machibuse Hakaku's reflection on the window.

"A little too much, I am afraid… Hakuba wants to see the ship, so you can imagine that I was left in charge of going with him." Hakaku sighed as he took to observing the main deck alongside the captain.

Both his son and wife busy down there, hand-to-hand practice.

"Think that your research will get those guys behind bars now?" Seizo asked, his voice somewhat hushed as to keep everyone in the ship's bridge from hearing.

"That hinges on what the Chinese have found on their end; the minister has already informed me that she is just waiting on confirmation to shift the operation towards the apprehension phase. If whoever the Chinese authorities captured had a hand at the manufacturing process then I can easily prove it, it's just a matter of comparing the sample with the one I obtained from that dealer Ingenium arrested. And when I do prove the connection then there will be a lot of work for the heroes and the police back at the main island to do." the doctor explained, a small smile on his face as he watched his son quickly getting back up on his feet after Kagome tripped him. Hakuba had gotten a lot better at fighting since that day on the beach.

"He will make a fine soldier one day." Seizo commented, noticing the smile.

"Kagome has been talking about sending him to a hero school recently, she got to work with quite a few of them on her last mission. Our son wants to help people, and she says that hero work is going to weight less on his soul than being in the military." Hakaku responded, his tone not giving away his own stance on that matter.

"Can't imagine that the minister will be thrilled to hear about someone from her family not being in the military." the captain admitted in surprise.

"My mother has no saying on what he does with his life."

-.

 **Four Years Ago, October 24th, In Transit Towards Busan, JDS Murakumo, Engine Room, 1840.**

"It's huge!" Hakuba shouted in amazement as he first laid eyes upon the massive heart of the Murakumo.

"Taking a tour?" a familiar voice asked from over one of the catwalks.

"Bo-san." Hakaku greeted as he looked up towards the man.

"Bo-san! I wanted to see the ship, but I promised mom that I would not go alone, so I got dad to come with me!" Hakuba responded.

"Well, it's good to see that you are having a good time." Bo commented as he made his way down from the catwalk.

He couldn't help but notice how Hakaku was the depiction of the word "tired".

"Want me to keep an eye on him, Doctor? I have a good hour of patrol duty left, but Hakuba can just tag along with me… You seem like you need to rest for a bit." Bo offered as both adults watched the child timidly approaching the railing to have a look at the ship's engine, earning a few chuckles from the engineers at the room.

"You have my gratitude, but I can't push the work on you. And besides, this is his last stop for the night, so it's just a matter of getting him back for a shower before dinner. I can get a good night of sleep after that." Hakaku responded.

"You two will be dinning with us? From what I was told the commander will be with Captain Seizo to finish discussing the plans regarding our arrival in South Korea." Bo asked as he gave a short bow, he had to keep on patrolling.

"I am afraid not. I have some friends from the Medical Corps serving on this ship, told them earlier that we would be with them tonight." Hakaku responded, offering a bow of his own.

"I see… Well, see you two around then."

-.

 **Four Years Ago, October 24th, In Transit Towards Busan, JDS Murakumo, Room Twelve-A, 1950.**

"Kagome! You are going to get late!" Hakaku called from the bunkbed, his eyes not veering of the book he was reading.

"Quit fussing over it! You were the one that allowed Hakuba to go snuffing around those machines! You should've been the one to scrub this shit from his hair, not me!" Kagome practically barked back from the small bathroom where she and their son currently were.

Hakaku's expression twitched lightly as he failed to find an excuse for the incident that happened in the engine room involving Hakuba sticking his head inside a hatch lined with thick, grimy oil.

"And besides, one of the guys that work at the bridge came earlier, said something came up and needed the Captain's attention, so we canceled... Brought me an envelope with the schedule for me to check and sign, mind taking it to the bridge for me? I am kinda busy in here, you see." Kagome asked, trying to keep her cool.

"S-sorry…" Hakuba offered weakly.

"Hush you! I don't want any of whatever this stuff is getting on your mouth!" Kagome ordered.

Hakaku took a deep breath and closed his book. Didn't took him long to find said envelope.

"See you at the canteen then?" Hakaku asked as he got up.

"Guess I'm almost finished here… some ten or twenty minutes more should do the work." Kagome responded tiredly.

Hakaku could barely hold his laughter as he closed the door of the room, his wife almost losing it as Hakuba apparently tried to lick the stuff that was running down his face.

In the end he couldn't disagree about Kagome's decision of bringing him along, it was a very unusual family trip, but a good family trip regardless.

-.

 **Four Years Ago, October 24th, In Transit Towards Busan, JDS Murakumo, Cargo Bay, 2000.**

"ETA is five hours." Haritomo's voice filled the room, behind him were the bloodied bodies of four crewmembers of the Murakumo.

With him in the room where the twenty-four other members of the Special Forces' Squad Six.

"Fuck, never thought that this day would finally come!" Torayama rolled his shoulders in relief.

"Can't even believe I won't need to see your ugly mugs anymore." Kimura basically groaned.

"So, "Hari Oji-san" what's th…" one of the members of Squad Six began speaking, but he dropped to the ground dead before he was even finished.

"I've been dealing with that pitiful nickname since the brat learned to speak. So I strongly suggest that you don't call me that." Haritomo threatened without losing his cool. Blood now pooled underneath his victim's head from a wound the size of a coin.

"One less to share the bounty with." Akihasa rolled her eyes.

"Now that we got that out of the way… Bo, how long until the C4 goes off?" Haritomo asked.

"The charges at the bridge should go off in six-hundred seconds, and our beloved commander goes along. The ones at the engine will explode in another three-hundred. Targets will be either at the canteen or at Room Twelve-A." Bo reported.

"Very well. We strike as soon as the first blast goes off. Six of you go to room twelve-A. Four are in charge of taking out the security, we can't have alarms and CCTV on. The others go to the canteen with me: we are going to need to clean the place fast if the targets are not there. We need only one of them alive, preferably the Doctor, but there is a huge bonus if we can take both him and the brat." Haritomo ordered and got ready to leave.

"What about the little helper our benefactor sent us? Can we trust him?" Torayama asked, turning his snout toward the crate that assaulted his sensitive sense of smell when he first entered the cargo bay.

"Our benefactor apparently doesn't know where that thing came from either, but it was trained enough to not attack anyone wearing one of these. Let the blast wake him up." Haritomo informed, pointing towards the reflective cloth tied around his bicep.

"Now let's earn ourselves our retirement pay."

-.

 **Four Years Ago, October 24th, In Transit Towards Busan, JDS Murakumo, Room Twelve-A, 2010.**

A massive blast went off and the entire ship shook from it. Lights immediately went out, leaving only the deep red hue of the emergency lightning.

Hakuba instinctively latched onto his mother for protection. He had just finished dressing after the long bath he had been put through and his mother was about finished as well, just missing the coat from her uniform and her shoes.

The sounds of many people running frantically outside the room soon filled the corridor, but as fast as they had come they were gone.

Kagome still took a moment to reach for the door.

She was just about to turn the keys when a familiar voice came from the other side.

"Doc! You in there!?"

It was Kimura, but something was off... she wasn't standing in front of the door as she spoke, her voice came from the right, just by the doorframe. Why was Kimura positioned for breaching the room?

Hakuba was about to respond, but Kagome was quick to stop him, quickly placing her hand over her son's mouth... Her husband would've likely fallen for the same trick.

"DOC!?" Kimura called again.

Kagome ushered Hakuba into the small wardrobe of their room, ordering him to keep absolute silence.

She triggered her Quirk, pushing forth a spike of chitin from her palm, about as thick as a nail and as long as a combat knife. Kagome was not taking any chances as she leaned her ear to the door.

Kimura wasn't alone on the corridor.

A subtle sizzling sound she knew all too well came from the other side. Kimura had a Quirk that allowed her to quickly rust away most metals she touched. And the Rust was now visible on the doorknob.

This was a breach indeed.

Kagome stepped into the bathroom and waited.

Not even half a minute later the door was pushed open and three figures made their way inside with great care. All were members of her squad, carrying silenced weapons… and for sure those weren't the only ones.

Kagome needed to think, and fast. Wouldn't take much time for those three to begin investigating further.

Another blast rocked the Murakumo, this one even bigger than the previous. If her squad had a hand in those explosions then it likely was Bo's work; the man was capable of storing copious amounts of supplies with his Deep Pockets Quirk, and he had a knack for demolitions.

Unfortunately the blast caused Hakuba to gasp, giving away his hiding spot.

"We need him alive." one of the attackers spoke.

No time to think.

Time to act.

Kagome sprouted two more Quills from her hand and planted them on the bathroom's floor firmly, then, in a single motion she stepped out from the bathroom and shoved one of the assailants towards the impromptu punji sticks, chest-first.

First blood.

Kimura wasn't inside the room, so Kagome had to deal with at least three more hostiles. The commander bit her lip as she swung her arm, sending two more Quills towards another one of her subordinates. The first projectile was deflected, the second, however, now lodged firmly on the target's jugular.

She couldn't believe this was happening, it had to be a bad dream.

"The commander is here! Golf and X-ray are down!" the last remaining target in the room shouted, wiping his aim towards Kagome.

Kagome was quick to dash forward and throw another Quill at the gunner's hand, painfully forcing him to drop the rifle. A single spike surging dead center from the palm of her hand, but this time she kept the weapon connected to her. Quebec was an instant too slow to draw his combat knife as the commander slammed her palm into his face.

This was beyond a nightmare.

Kagome kept on running towards the door, as low to the ground as possible while her free hand now held Quebec's body up. She needed something to block the incoming gunfire, and now her former subordinate had become a shield as bullets wheezed around her and pelted the blockade she was carrying, Quebec's bulletproof vest proving vital for her sake.

Once she crossed the doorway she spotted two other people: Kimura (normally referred as India) and Lima. The first one on her right and the second to her her left.

With a spin Kagome threw the body over to the side with the most dangerous enemy in close quarters while sticking one of her legs out towards the second target. A Quill went clear through Kagome's socks, growing to the size of an arrow and nailing Kimura's hand onto her own shoulder before the tension from the blow caused the chitin to snap. The woman screamed in pain and dropped to the ground as she tried to pull the bloodied spike out.

One hostile left.

Lima rushed towards her as he was forced to push Quebec's body, he knew that his commander would not leave them with enough space to pick his gun back up and aim.

Combat knife ready and he knew very well that he just needed to create a breach to reach the boy in the room. The Quills Kagome was able to create were dangerous weapons, easily able to puncture bone and it took the commander less than a second to create ones the size of daggers, but they were easy enough to bend and crack, making them very poor for blocking, and the narrow space they were fighting in would make it hard for Kagome to dodge and weave around like she usually when fighting at close quarters.

Lima however showed himself too naïve for his own good. Kagome jumped back, rolling her back against Kimura's as she reached down for the woman's rifle before landing on a crouched position.

India made for an excellent tripod, keeping the aim nice and stable as hot lead was shot down the hallway.

Silence.

There was only another pained cry as Kagome shot Kimura's free hand before the woman managed to reach for her sidearm.

"WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS, INDIA!?" Kagome shouted as she kicked the woman towards the wall.

"Those imbeciles only needed to get one piece of intel right and they still managed to fuck it up…" Kimura scorned as she slowly tried to wiggle her hand free.

"ANSWER ME!" Kagome demanded, forcing Kimura's hand back towards her shoulder with her foot, the rifle now aimed square at her head.

Tension filled the room as India thought possible escapes from her situation…

Then her radio clicked.

India opened her mouth to speak.

Kagome immediately pulled the trigger. If her squad was turning on her then she couldn't risk the information about her knowledge of it to leak. The commander quickly picked up the earpiece from India, she wouldn't be needing it anymore.

" _India! I know you can hear me! Canteen is clear. Do you have the targets?"_ the voice from the device, clearly was Torayama speaking.

"Affirmative. Heading to extraction." Kagome responded, doing her best to emulate Kimura's voice as she smothered the mic with her thumb, distorting the voice even further.

" _Good fucking job, Alpha! Almost tricked me there, we hadn't informed India about the extraction point just yet. You know, just in case she wanted to make it off with the prize."_ Torayama responded with a chuckle.

"You idiots playing mercenaries now!?" Kagome gritted her teeth.

" _Everyone has a price, ma'am. And those guys doubled down on it! Now stand still so we can end this quickly. Gotta buy myself a nice summer home in Rio!"_ Torayama responded before turning off the radio.

Kagome immediately turned the door of her room, Hakuba was terrified as peeked from the doorframe. He likely just had watched his mother shooting someone in the head.

"Everything is going to be ok… pick up the case under my bed for me." Kagome lied through her teeth as she bent down to pick up India's sidearm and holster.

Going as fast as she possibly could Kagome stripped both India and Quebec from their bulletproof vests and loaded on as much ammo as she could fit on the pockets, now throwing the strap on the rifle over one of her shoulders.

"We need to get moving. Put on one of the vests… They are going to come after us, and we still need to find your father." Kagome instructed.

"What is happening, mom?" Hakuba asked as he hastily fastened the straps on the bloodied bulletproof vest as he searched for the case he knew contained his mother's bow.

"Bad things are happening… we need to send a distress signal, tell everyone what's the situation here. And your father should be at the bridge as well. We need to get there." Kagome spoke as she handed the bow to her son, alongside the quiver and about a dozen arrows she created.

"I know mine is a little too big for you and is heavier than the bow you are used to training with, but I'm sure you can do it." Kagome offered with a reassuring smile before both of them took to running.

"W-what do I do?" Hakuba panicked as he held the weapon nervously.

"You do everything you can…" Kagome responded, trying to keep calm.

Hakuba didn't seemed too certain however.

"You will be safe as long as no one knows where you are… Just make sure no one can see you and everything will be fine." Kagome offered.

She had no way to know it, but those words would come to haunt her son for a very long time.

-.

 **Four Years Ago, October 24th, JDS Murakumo, 2040.**

The Murakumo now had turned into a deadly game of cat and mouse. And given how none of the alarms were going off it was easy to guess that something happened in the security room. This meant that none of the Murakumo's crew actually knew that the ones behind the attack were the members of the Special Forces that had boarded their ship as friends, wasn't hard to imagine that Squad Six was in fact asking everyone they crossed paths with for clues about the members of the Machibuse family.

Progress to reach the ship's bridge was slow as the central staircase had filled up with thick smoke, forcing Kagome and Hakuba to take an alternative route either through crossing the main deck or the main storage area. Luckily for them the Murakumo was big enough so that the mutineers of Squad Six would have to search the place thoroughly to find them.

And luckily for Kagome her son had inherited his fathers stamina and her speed, Hakuba was doing very well given how traumatizing that whole experience felt.

However their luck was beginning to run thin, they had managed to sneak past some of the search parties, but Torayama, a.k.a. Whiskey, was surely on the job and the man had a particularly gifted sense of smell. It was a matter of time. And to make matters worse Kagome was sure to have spotted Akihasa, a.k.a. Juliett, circling around the ship. She was a quick flier, likely was in charge of keeping an eye on the external areas of the ship.

Kagome couldn't help but tense up when the prospect of having to face Bravo, her second-in-command, crossed her mind. She considered every member of her squad as close friend… but Haritomo was by all means a member of her family, hell, he had been the first person after her and Hakaku to hold Hakuba after he was born. And he was by far the biggest threat on that ship.

Kagome and Hakuba continued to run.

Things were getting bad, for a while now the ground had begun to feel a little off, slanted by the tiniest degree. The hull likely had been breached and now the ship had begun to sink ever so slowly. The lower floors of the Murakumo soon would be inaccessible, and the safest route to the bridge was through the elevator shaft that started there.

Something moved on the window. The reflection of the corridor just around the corner just got darker, something stepped in between the red emergency light and the glass surface. Whiskey was right around the corner to the corridor that led towards the path down to the emergency stairs that led to either the main deck or down to the lower areas of the ship.

He signaled for the two that were following him to stop as he sniffed the air.

They had been found.

The two Machibuses would need to get across one way or another.

Kagome quickly turned the corner, a volley of bullets flying and quickly ending one of the three targets. Whiskey was quick to get on all fours when he realized just how close the commander was, leaving Echo, who stood behind him, to take the attack.

Kagome was about to rush back when a burning pain on her arm caused her to flinch. Uniform managed to fire back at her and she now had two bullets wounds in her right bicep, now she stumbled backwards.

In an instant Whiskey pounced at her, normally he would've just gone for a bite on his targets throat, but he wasn't about to try that on someone capable of sprouting spikes at a moment's notice. Rather, Whiskey decided to focus on the mission; using Alpha as pivot he quickly rushed down at her son. Subduing and capturing Hakuba was the top priority, and Uniform had the grounded commander at gunpoint.

Hakuba had trained to fight, but this was the first time he would actually have to fight. This wasn't training, this wasn't a sparring match.

"RUN!" Kagome shouted as she dove around the corner and pulled another Quill, narrowly dodging two more bullets but having a third impacting her bulletproof vest.

In an instant the commander would drew her sidearm and Uniform would meet his end.

But for now Hakuba was alone, and he was frightened. He tripped on his heels as he tried to step away.

Whiskey pressed on, quickly hooking his hands around the boy's collar and forcing him to the ground. In an instant Hakuba had been pinned down by a knee landing on his chest.

Hakuba barely had recovered from the impact when he felt a fist connecting with his jaw, almost knocking him out cold.

"Now now, don't struggle!" Whiskey giggled as he delivered a second punch.

Then the third.

Fourth.

Fifth.

Then Whiskey fell to the side, convulsing wildly with a numbing pain in his arm.

Hakuba had managed to grasp firmly the leg pressed against his torso in between the second and third strikes with both his hands.

The payload had been delivered.

All the adrenaline in Hakuba's system caused him to inadvertently synthesize an adrenal booster with his Quirk. And one not fit for a beast, let alone a man. Tachycardia and intense vasocontraction led to massive spikes in blood pressure… Torayama was either having a heart attack or a stroke.

Whiskey screamed, but just for a moment.

It was a painful way to go.

Hakuba had taken his first kill.

Took the boy a moment to move after that, the blows to his head had a lot to do with it, but that by far wasn't what got Hakuba to stall.

"Here, we need to move…" Kagome offered a hand as she approached, unfortunately her son's first kill would have to be addressed later as the screaming surely would get the attention of the people hunting them down.

Hakuba needed a second to reach for her, and another one to remember to pull back his Chelicerae before actually making contact.

It was hard to stand up, but his mother managed to keep him stable for long enough so he could try to walk with her help.

"Your arm…" Hakuba spoke weakly as he eyed the oozing wounds his mother had suffered in that last battle.

"I know… let's get to the main deck, we deal with these things once we get there." Kagome pushed forth, her eyes studying the troubled expression of her son. Hakuba's nose was busted pretty bad, she would need to snap it back into place.

"Hakuba.. I'm going to need you to stop my bleeding, think you can do it?" she asked, beginning to feel lightheaded as they moved up the stairway.

Hakuba nodded nervously, would take him about a minute to synthesize the drug, but he knew how to do it.

Didn't took them long to reach the top of the emergency stairs, Kagome had decided to not risk going lower into the ship. All that separated them from the open was a steel door, from there it was just a matter of turning to the corner and they would be close to the access stairs to the Murakumo's bridge.

"Ok… get something to bite on. This will hurt." Kagome told her son as she now reached for the bloodied nose while Hakuba rolled the tie of his uniform and adjusted it into his mouth.

His mother gave him no time to prepare after that, there was just a low crack as she forced the bent nose back right. The boy curled in pain.

"Not going the have my son growing up with a crooked nose, I'm way too proud of you for that." Kagome offered, wiping her hand clean of blood before ruffing his hair tenderly.

She took a deep breath. Her limp right arm would be a problem.

"Ready?" Kagome asked, eyeing the bleeding wound.

"Y-yeah…" Hakuba responded, nervously reaching for his mother's right shoulder before injecting something to increase her blood clothing capabilities.

The two were quiet for a moment, the scent of smoke and saltwater permeated the air of the enclosed staircase.

"Did I…" Hakuba began speaking, his mind was still filled with the echoes of Torayama's dying cries.

"You killed a man. And you may need to kill more." Kagome stated firmly.

Hakuba clenched his hands, a lot of doubt visible on his eyes as he turned to look down at his feet.

"Hakuba, look at me. They are after us; they want me dead, and something worse awaits for you and your father. I won't be able to do much now, can't aim a rifle and can't draw a bow… I wouldn't be surprised if I never get to do any of those things again." Kagome spoke softly, she could barely feel her right hand, much less move it.

"But we need to press on, you need to press on. We gotta find your father and make it to the security room, we need to tell everyone what is happening her, but I can't do this alone. I need you to fight… I know that it is a lot to ask, but I need you to do it again, to push your fear to the side, to face everything that is headed our way the same way you did down there. You will need to do everything you can without holding back." she continued, now reaching for the steel door that would lead them to the outside.

Hakuba took a deep breath, then knocked an arrow onto the bow.

"Let's go get your father."

"Yes, ma'am."

The two quickly stepped out and got moving, eyes peeled for enemies. Two massive columns of smoke could be seen rising into the sky and now it was easy to tell that the Murakumo didn't have long. For now the ship was still mostly afloat, but it had begun to sink, and it would only sink faster and faster as more water entered.

The entire thing likely would be underwater in about two hours.

There were already some lifeboats in the water, people had already realized that the Murakumo could not be saved and had begun abandoning ship. Squad Six surely had secured one somewhere and were just waiting for the time to escape.

Something then moved from around the corner of the ship.

Akihasa had just made the turn and would spot them in an instant.

Kagome whipped her handgun towards the target, but it would be a near impossible shot with such a small gun and only one hand to aim.

She gritted her teeth.

Then an arrow immediately flew, giving Juliett just enough time to beat her wings for a last time with horror in her eyes before being struck in the chest and plunging down into the cold ocean.

"Target eliminated." Hakuba spoke painfully. He had killed two of the people he liked the most in the span of twenty minutes.

Kagome gave her son's hand a tight squeeze, this was the last thing she wanted for him.

They resumed running. The main deck was just around the corner.

Another arrow flew, sending Charlie tumbling dead into a steel barrel.

They had reached their destination, now it was just a matter of climbing the access ladder to the bridge.

But…

Kagome felt a sharp pang in her chest as the bridge came into her sight. Fire, smoke, shattered glass… she had been telling herself that her husband would be ok since the first explosion, but after seeing what remained of the Murakumo's bridge she couldn't lie to herself anymore.

Hakaku was dead.

And Hakuba knew it as well, yet he was barely able to register what he was feeling. He was in shock as reality struck.

"We can't stop yet…" Kagome was unable to hide the grief in her voice.

Something broke within Hakuba as he watched the burning wreckage that had become his father's grave. He felt oddly calm.

"Yes, ma'am."

-.

 **Four Years Ago, October 24th, JDS Murakumo, Security Room, 2140.**

Everyone in the room had been killed.

The difference was that two of the dead were much more recent than the rest; Sierra and Victor likely were in charge of keeping an eye on the ship's radio after Squad Six had taken care of the navy guys that were in the room. Neither of the two had time to react when Hakuba rushed inside as Kagome shot the red lightbulb.

Hakuba's first kill had taught him that he needed to make sure his victims couldn't scream, so, after some careful planning and synthesizing he had reached an ideal chemical to inject.

A very simple compound that would cause brutal muscle cramps and, in high enough concentration, pulmonary arrest.

They couldn't scream if they couldn't breathe.

By now Kagome had finished relying the information as she made a tourniquet around her arm. Rescue was on the way, armed and ready to deal with the insurgents.

"Four-hundred and eighty seconds." Kagome informed, as she took off the headset. She didn't bother with placing it on top of the desk as the ship by now had been steadily tipping to one side.

Hakuba just remained unresponsive as he stared down his two last victims, the Chelicerae in his palms out and ready to strike.

"Hakuba!" Kagome called, causing her son to snap back into the real world.

Kagome slowly wrapped her left arm around her son as she approached, a brief moment of care in the darkness of that night.

They needed to move once more, now that Kagome had revealed the truth behind the attack on the Murakumo surely the security room would be stormed soon. Getting into one of the lifeboats was their best shot now. Either that or they could improvise with a crate, they still had time to make it to the cargo bay and get one of the external hatches open.

On the run again and as expected there was resistance on the way. Now that Squad Six's was exposed they couldn't leave their mission unfinished and they had to get it done in a hurry. And that hurry made Foxtrot and Zulu sloppy enough to run on the stairs, the thin aluminum steps alerting their targets of their approach.

Hakuba and Kagome simply waited around the corner, and when their enemies came into view Kagome rushed Zulu to the ground, one of her Quills punching right through the man's neck, while Hakuba used his mother's back to step up and push both his palms on Foxtrot's face.

The Machibuses had decided that they had no time to search for the lifeboat, so now they rushed to the cargo bay.

Running was turning into an issue, the floor had to be tilted by at least thirty degrees now. The Murakumo would capsize shortly.

Soon they were greeted by the smell of copper that filled the storage area. As many as twenty bodies scattered across the floor, all but five brutally mangled, ripped open and missing limbs. Strangely enough one of the five that weren't thorn apart was Squad Six's Delta. There was someone, something in that place.

Kagome spotted a shadow on the corner, and whatever that was it had noticed her. She created another Quill with some effort and gestured for Hakuba to step away slowly. Kagome had been pushing her Quirk for a while now, her skin was beginning to crack and soon enough she would begin losing more blood than she already was.

The stalemate lasted for roughly a minute, Hakuba could not see just what had his mother so on edge, only hear a low, muffled grow-like voice had been repeating the Machibuse name with difficulty.

The Murakumo continued to tilt, they were near the point of no return.

It all clicked for Kagome once he saw that figure, the reason behind all of this. Should've been as plain as day from the start.

The jet-black skin, the knife-like claws, the crazed eyes, the partially exposed brain. Kagome knew that thing very well.

"Hakuba, get out of this corridor very slowly. Lean against the floor and get away." Kagome whispered as she made another push, short Quills sprouting from her forearm and shoulder.

Hakuba's eyes widened when he realized that he was meant to leave his mother behind.

"The ship will capsize at any moment now, and there is no telling on what will happen after that… It will come after me now, and I am not risking having you anywhere near it." she added, her body tensing for a battle she knew would be inevitable now.

"What is going to happen with you!? You are wounded!" Hakuba despaired, doing his best to keep his voice as low as possible, but having a hard time doing so.

The monster in the room perked up in attention, it had noticed Hakuba now.

"I don't know." Kagome responded, quickly shoving her son away with her right side and quickly pulling the mechanical switch that held the doors to the cargo bay open.

The metallic door quickly feel shut, cutting the two apart.

"MOM!" Hakuba cried, slamming his hands against the steel desperately.

"GET OUT FROM THE SHIP! I WILL MEET YOU OUTSIDE!" Kagome shouted back.

"YOU PROMISSE!? I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE!" Hakuba continued crying, unaware that the monster inside the cargo bay had just begun charging against his mother.

"I DO! NOW GO!" Kagome responded.

"I WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU!" Hakuba gave a final cry before turning away from the door and running.

Tears ran down Kagome's face, her limp right arm now had been completely severed as she used it to deflect the assault and create an opening to strike back.

But that wasn't why she was crying.

She was crying because the last words she exchanged with her son were lies.

-.

 **Four Years Ago, October 24th, JDS Murakumo, Canteen, 2230.**

Hakuba had been lucky enough to have a ship capsizing about twenty minutes ago while he tried to get away from another search party, his Chelicerae proving to be capable tools for climbing and allowed him to hold tight to the wooden floor while his pursuers, Papa, Romeo and Yankee, were rocked around and left open to a quick volley of arrows from his perch on top of one of the wooden tables bolted to the floor.

It would be a good idea to take his shoes off the next time though.

His luck however turned bad immediately after when another four members of Squad Six made it inside the canteen.

"Stop resisting young man. You are only delaying the inevitable." Bo sighed as he rappelled inside alongside November, Oscar and Tango. Ropes attached to some pipe on the outside of the canteen. All four stopping for a moment over six meters above Hakuba, and another two from the lowest point in the room.

Hakuba didn't respond. He had been evading a four-man squad led by Bo, or Hotel, for a few minutes now, moving from one cover to the next whenever he had the opportunity and needed every second he could muster to plan his next move. He took a deep breath and took a peek at the old watch he had around his wrist, a gift his father gave him for his seventh birthday. The almost fading nine segment display was telling him that he had around eighteen hundred seconds before rescue arrived.

"This would've been so much easier if your old man wasn't so anal about accompanying you during your little tour. Too bad he is a piece of charcoal now, we lost a good cut of our payday because of that." Hotel taunted, reaching into the pocket he had in his forearm for grenade.

In moment he had blown up one of the tables of the canteen after making sure his target wasn't within the blast range.

"Honestly, just save me the trouble of restocking and give up." he continued. Another explosion.

Six more tables to go.

Hakuba could hear the other three approaching carefully. His mind was going a million miles per hour. He couldn't draw his bow as at least one of his hands has vital to keeping himself anchored, and he couldn't risk fighting in the open without a decent footing, especially against armed opponents.

Hakuba quickly reached for the straps of his bulletproof vest, that thing was in the way now. Once freed Hakuba pressed his upper back against the wood, the Chelicerae there now able to anchor him as well as he held the heavy armor with his chin.. It was a good idea to free his hands but was a rather painful idea also, he had never used the Chelicerae on his back much, so they weren't nearly as strong as the ones in his hands and feet. One aspect of his training he had grossed over.

With a quick draw from the bow he fired an arrow at the wall that had become the de facto floor of the canteen since the capsizing.

All movement in the room seemed to halt as the sound captured their attention briefly.

"Watch out, you know he is crafty." Hotel warned.

Hakuba gritted his teeth, that wouldn't cut it.

Then his father saved him.

In a way, at least as he quickly begun setting up the alarm on his watch before removing the accessory.

The alarm arrow was ready to fly.

"We are not falling for that." Hotel stated as none of the climbers paid attention to the projectile.

That was up until the thing started beeping a few seconds later.

It was Hakuba's chance to make a move, taking the heavy vest and tossing it into the completely opposite direction to create more noise.

Hakuba jumped down. It was a pretty big drop, but he could handle it. November's body would cushion his fall a little.

By the time the four men in the ropes realized where the boy actually was Hakuba had already picked November's rifle and had begun firing away.

Romeo happened to be killed in the assault, but that wasn't Hakuba's original plan.

He unloaded the whole clip at the pipe where the ropes had been tied to.

The four fell like rocks.

And none of them got up.

Climbing out of the canteen was going to be a challenge, Hakuba for sure had at least sprained his right ankle on the fall. Still, he had to endure. And now that his mobility had been crippled he would need to be even more ingenious.

The Murakumo was sinking fast now, the sound of water pouring in was distressing to say the least.

Hakuba picked up his alarm arrow, his watch wouldn't resist more than another go, but he wasn't in position to be picky. His muscles were burning, his throat was dry, his eyes were heavy.

"Nine hundred and twenty…-five seconds until extraction."

-.

 **Four Years Ago, October 24th, JDS Murakumo, Hull, 2250.**

Kilo and Mike never saw it coming.

The watch had been tossed into a room with no other exit just as Hakuba made his presence known and the alarm led both men inside.

Hakuba just closed the door shut behind them and pilled some junk on top of it to guarantee that they wouldn't escape.

Hakuba now had reached the outer shell of the sinking ship. There was only one member of Squad Six after him now.

"I'm genuinely impressed. When I was told that your mother had escaped the blast at the bridge I was sure that at least some of the guys would be put down, but I didn't expect all of them being killed." Bravo admitted as he watched Hakuba climbing onto the railing.

"You feeling candid now, Hari Oji-san?" Hakuba spat, leaning heavily on his left leg.

He then fell to the ground clutching his tight, a large shard of glass now lodged into his flesh and nicking his femur.

Hakuba knew very well he wouldn't stand a chance against Haritomo's Hyalokenesis. And even if the man refrained from using his Quirk to turn every piece of glass on the Murakumo into a weapon Hakuba wouldn't still be able to lay a finger on him even in peak condition.

Yet there was no escaping that confrontation.

"How many of them did you kill?" the old man asked as he flicked a glass marble at breakneck speed at one of Hakuba's hands as to stop the boy from prying out the glass in his leg and possibly bleed to death.

"D-did you even care about them?" Hakuba asked back in pain.

"I planned on getting rid of them after the mission, you and your mother saved me the trouble. Just being curious." Haritomo explained as he approached, making sure to step on Kagome's bow to snap it in half.

"Fifteen." Hakuba responded finally.

"Aren't you one fine little killing machine. I wonder what those guys have in store for you…" Haritomo mused, picking up Hakuba by the collar.

A navy ship coming a maximum speed caught their attention.

"So that is your plan? Stalling for time? You know that I can control any glass I can see my reflection on, all I need is one of these and it's off to the extraction point." Haritomo asked as he turned to one of the many glass panes on the ship, immediately bringing closer to demonstrate his escape vehicle.

"I know the ships can't reach you, Hari Oji-san… I just wanted to know why you did this…" Hakuba spoke.

Bravo rolled his eyes.

And then immediately slammed Hakuba down through the floating glass pane.

The boy coiled in pain. Then he was pinned to the ground as a massive boot landed on his chest with an unsettling crack.

"I was going to say money was the reason behind everything… but you know? It is not! This, all of this is to show that insufferable minister that her little political games have consequences! I have lost it all because she sees everyone as a disposable pawn! This is to show her that something as small as refusing to send a rescue mission for her pawns is not something to take lightly!" Haritomo berated as he kicked his godchild across the bits of glass.

Hakuba could only cough blood.

"Anymore stupid questions or can we get moving?" the man questioned, now bringing another glass pane for him to ride towards extraction.

Hakuba chuckled.

"The part of your Quirk that requires you to reflect on the glass… is the receeding hairline to boost that? Makes you shine better or something like that?" he taunted.

Haritomo immediately picked Hakuba up by the neck and just as he was about to speak again Hakuba forced his jaw to the side.

And spat one of his Chelicerae right on his godfather's good eye.

"Payload delivered." Hakuba coughed as he was tossed against the floor. Haritomo needed to be able to see his reflection on the glass to control it, and luckily for Hakuba someone had already done half the job when it came down to blinding the man.

Haritomo tried to shout something in rage, but he found hard to actually speak as his muscles stiffened.

Then a sharp pain took hold of his leg as Hakuba crawled closer to deliver a second dose to make sure the job was done.

Then a third as he reached with his other hand.

It was enough to put a rhino down, but Hakuba was not taking any chances.

"Sixteen."

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Questions answered? New questions? I hope so. This is the single longest chapter in the story up until now and I've written most of it with a single hand.**_

 _ **I was a little strapped for what Quirk give to this arc's antagonist, so I must give a quick shout out to Mashmallow Titan and the Quirk compendium he maintains; I've made a little tweak on Hyalokenesis (chapter 46), but the idea came from there. Haritomo Junshou means "Honest Crystal Neighbor".**_

 _ **Sometime ago I asked you guys about the possibility of a spin-off later on but didn't gave any meaningful explanation on what the spin-off would cover and I got mixed responses as I expected. Now I can tell you guys that the spin-off would go over the events that preceded the JDS Murakumo Incident.**_

 _ **And yes, like most chapters in this story this one also has some harder to spot bits of information. Let's just say that the sauciest of them all is in this chapter.**_

 _ **Till next time.**_


	38. Where The Heart Is

_**I gotta stop writing these 10k words chapters with my hand half bandaged up…**_

-.

 **July 25th, Machibuse Residence, 0825.**

Hakuba wasn't expecting to be back at his diminutive apartment in Shinjuku after yesterday's escapade, but there he was. He got up from the couch and stretched, for today was going to be a busy day.

Yesterday Momo had left him at the graveyard with the promise to do her best to earn his trust back, to earn _him_ back. Learning the truth about the Murakumo surely shocked her; Momo barely talked as Hakuba recounted the events of that night, but her expression gave it all away… learning about his first desperate kill, about how he had watched the burning wreckage where his father had died, about how his godfather had apparently orchestrated everything as revenge on Hakame. It was clear however that what struck Momo the hardest was learning about how his mother had locked herself inside the Murakumo's cargo bay to fend off something Hakuba never came to see.

Her reaction to that seemed like as if she had something to say, but Hakuba decided to not press.

Regardless, today was the first day of Momo's trial and, according to Momo herself, the first thing to do was to ensure that everyone involved in the events of two days ago, that meant the four boys from the rescue squad and Bakugo, had at least some degree of understanding about the truth that they had been so harshly exposed to. This would not only prevent them from telling other people, but more importantly it would give Hakuba a chance to justify his actions and maybe, just maybe, regain his friends.

Momo said she would take care of bringing them to hear him.

First Hakuba would go through his morning routine, then to the grocery store. His grandmother had told him a proverb once: "One should never begin negotiations on an empty stomach."

He had absolutely no idea where she got that from, but it fell on his shoulders to take measures regarding that.

-.

 **July 25th, Machibuse Residence, 1125.**

Being able to handle a blade was essential to any killer worth their salt; precision with each strike, perfect edge alignment, fluid motions that wasted no energy. Hand to eye coordination was also vital, and Machibuse was especially adept at that thanks to his intense archery training: he could throw a knife with dead center precision up to three meters away.

Yes, perfect skills for a killer.

But also for a cook.

His guests were scheduled to arrive in little over thirty-six hundred seconds, that gave Machibuse plenty of time to make sure every detail of that meal was perfect. Skillfully peeling and dicing the ginger was something he did without even thinking as he eyed the pressure cooker for a moment. He would drain the water in three hundred seconds, by then the pork belly would be tender enough to be cut.

Soon enough the ginger was reduced to thin ribbons and left to marinate on a mixture of vinegar and sugar. Nine hundred seconds would be enough to impart the flavor and sweeten the ginger.

Turning his back to the kitchen counter after turning off the heat under the pressure cooker Machibuse begun carefully filling a bowl with lukewarm water and flour. He rolled his shoulders and dug his hands into the mixture. A strong and steady grip was something else that made the difference in taking someone's life, be it by making sure a firearm or bow was held firmly for precise aim, by ensuring the target would not get away from his Chelicerae, or even in simpler actions such as snaping someone's finger to gain leverage in intel gathering or simply choking an enemy.

Grip was also very important at making soba noodles. Wedging and rolling the ingredients firmly was vital to ensure that there was no air trapped in and guarantee a uniform dough that not only was ideal for hand pulling but also firm as to not break during the cooking process.

More flour, he now rolled the dough into a thin sheet with care. One to two millimeters thin, ideal to ensure that the noodles cooked evenly.

Sure, he could've gone for the pre-made stuff if he was cooking just for himself, but this was a very special occasion. The ritual needed to be perfect from start to finish.

He folded the sheet of dough over itself twice and put his knife skills to work once more. Enough servings for him, his guests and then some for dinner. Besides, Kamihara was sure back to patrolling as usual and likely would stop by.

Taking a moment to now drain the pressure cooker behind him, Machibuse picked up the remaining ingredients for the broth: The sweetened ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, honey and awamori liquor.

Sure, he was a minor, but that didn't prevent him from taking a sip of the liquor. Strong stuff. Good thing his Quirk made it impossible for him to get drunk.

The pork belly was now moved from the cooker into the cutting board. More chopping. Then back to the heat. Soon the sweet smell filled the kitchen.

All that remained was to prepare the daishi soup and sweep the floor clean of flour.

His cellphone buzzed inside his pocket, but he already knew what that was about. The walk from the Shinjuku central station to his apartment was just about twenty minutes long, and that fitted the time frame of his guests.

Now it was just a matter of boiling the soba noodles and setting up the table. Two servings at a time would be optimal, so in the meantime he picked up his cellphone to actually read the message. Only the rescue squad was coming, Bakugo apparently was asked by the police to stay indoors and would not be joining them.

That was a far more convenient result actually. Bakugo was the only one that knew about Machibuse's connection with the Hero Killer, so not having him present would mean that there only be one problem to discuss at the moment. Machibuse would make a point to speak with his fellow abducted classmate at a later date.

That wasn't the only message however… His grandmother had sent him something.

As it seemed tonight was going to be packed full as well.

The bell rung.

Machibuse took a deep breath.

"Welcome everyone, make yourselves at home… Food will be served in a moment." he greeted the five with a short bow and gestured for them to get in.

Tension was palpable in the air as Machibuse made his way back to the kitchen. The last two batches of noodles were just finishing to cook. No one dared to speak as they sat down at the table, Yaoyorozu visibly being the most apprehensive as she had been the one to bring them all together.

Machibuse closed his eyes for an instant to better organize his thoughts.

"Suppose I should start by thanking you all for saving me… You all have my gratitude even if I think that you were wrong in following through with that mission, after all I am alive because of it." he began, his eyes focused on the food he was setting up on the bowls.

"Ma'am, how much did you tell them?" he added as he turned his eyes towards Yaoyorozu.

"Not much. Suppose it is better that they learn it from you… brought the envelope with me, it's in my bag if you want." she responded as Iida, Midoriya, Todoroki and Kirishima exchanged glances. Yaoyorozu had only told them that the kills under Machibuse's belt were all made in self-defense during what effectively was a terrorist attack.

The scent of traditional Okinawan-style soba accompanied Machibuse as he made his way back and forth from the kitchen, each time bringing with him a serving.

The air was still tense, but now it was both tense and mouth-watering.

If Hakame really used food as a means to dilute tension then it was no wonder that the hag had become such a god at the kitchen. Tension was pretty much her middle name, even after she stepped down from her position as minister.

"Very well… I will spare you guys all the details I gave her, suppose it is better if we focus on what got this number onto my shoulder since that is what brought you all here." Machibuse spoke as he sat down across from Yaoyorozu, the rectangular table fit for four people a little cramped now. Good thing he remembered to ask one of his neighbors for a pair of chairs after coming back from the grocery store.

"What you all are about to hear is top security information. There was a lot of effort by the Ministry of Defense to keep everyone involved quiet, so I strongly suggest that you don't speak of it… with that out of the way, let me tell you the truth behind the incident that sunk the JDS Murakumo four years ago."

-.

 **July 25th, Machibuse Residence, 1315.**

Took Machibuse about forty minutes to finish his tale. Differently from how Yaoyorozu remained in silence during the entire process yesterday, the four boys made a good number of questions and clearly had many more in mind.

Machibuse slowly got up to get another batch of noodles going. A shame that such a well-crafted meal had been tainted by that story, but he had skipped breakfast today.

And besides, it was about time.

"Machibuse-kun… does my brother knows about this?" Iida asked worriedly.

"Not as far as I am aware, but I can confirm that Tensei met with a few members of Squad Six, four of which I killed. My mother's last mission prior to the incident was handled by her, Bravo, Hotel, India, Juliett and Whiskey. I was never told the details, but I know that it was a search and destroy mission… the target was a smuggling operation led by a branch of some criminal group from China." Machibuse responded with some relief in his voice, it felt good to not hide for once.

That caused Iida to frown, his expression clearly troubled. One could almost hear his thoughts just by looking at his face.

"You can tell him if you want, Iida-san, but I honestly think he is better off without knowing. Were I able to forget what happened that night I would've done so." Machibuse sighed.

"I guess you are right…" Iida agreed after a deep breath.

"You think that All For One was the one pulling the strings? I mean, you said that people were trying to capture you, not too different from what happened back at the camp…" Midoriya pondered in a serious voice unfitting of the sauce stain on the corner or his mouth.

"I know for a fact that All For One wanted me because of my Quirk, but I don't really know why both me and my father were targeted at the Murakumo… Suppose that there is no telling when it comes to someone like All For One, but I don't think it was his work. He knew about it in great detail, which brings another slew of problems regarding information leaks, but Shigaraki wanted me as a member of his group and offered to help me find out who was the responsible for what happened four years ago if I accepted his offer. I don't think that Shigaraki would have made that promise without making sure that I wouldn't go after All For One at a later date." Machibuse responded, draining his second serving of noodles and setting a third one into the water.

"You saw what All For One did at Kamino and you still would go after him?" Todoroki rose an eyebrow curiously.

"I have killed people far more powerful than myself already, Hari Oji-san was easily on the same level as Ch-… the Hero Killer. Ingenuity paired with a Quirk that can kill someone in as little as a firm grasp makes that something near-impossible, yes, but not at all unthinkable. And besides, if I had accepted Shigaraki's offer and turned out to set my sights on killing All For One then I am hard pressed to believe that you guys would feel all that bad if died trying." Machibuse spoke, his eyes distant as watched the boiling water in front of him.

"But you didn't accept the offer… You are not a villain, Hakuba." Yaoyorozu stated firmly.

Machibuse eyed her for a moment, then he was back to where he was before. It didn't escape to the four how Machibuse was clearly giving her the cold shoulder since they arrived.

"Then the army never found out who set the attack in motion or why?" Kirishima asked, getting up from the table as well, he wanted to have seconds.

"Not by lack of trying, that much I can guarantee. The hag spent almost two years going back and forth from China and South Korea trying to piece everything together. She was away for so long that she had me living in the barracks of the Military Academy rather than at her place." Machibuse responded, now reaching for yet another serving of the soba.

"Going to eat two in a row?" Kirishima tilted his head.

"This one is his." Machibuse answered, casually pointing towards the balcony with his thumb.

As if by magic the balcony door immediately slid open.

Edgeshot had come once more.

"He is very punctual." Machibuse turned to the now stunned Kirishima.

"So you are still here. People from the government came to the agency after you yesterday." Kamihara spoke as he stepped into the kitchen.

Machibuse just opened his mouth to say something when Edgeshot whacked him on the top of his skull with a ridiculously fast karate chop.

"Don't go using what I taught you to flee from the authorities." the ninja chided his student sternly, causing a chuckle to escape from some of Machibuse's classmates.

"Ow… sorry, Sir…" Hakuba muttered painfully.

Edgeshot just took a short sigh.

"I'm glad to see that you are okay." he spoke calmly, bringing a small smile to Machibuse's façade for a moment.

"Just let me something with a tight lid, just to make sure that the soba doesn't leak." Machibuse gave the pro a small nod of appreciation as he spoke.

"Don't worry, I have something to discuss with you either way, so I there is no need for something packed to go." Kamihara informed.

Machibuse just quirked an eyebrow in curiosity before reaching for a bowl on the drawer.

"Albeit I don't think it would be appropriate for us to have this conversation with people listening." Kamihara added, turning his one visible eye towards the other people in the living room.

"If its about that night then there is no problem if they hear, just finished telling them the truth. They ended up learning about it during the incident at Kamino and I needed to explain myself." Machibuse responded as he filled a bowl with food and passed the extra one he had made for himself to Kirishima.

"I was told that some students from U.A. were at the site. The three of you are definitely pushing your luck, but all of you better be on your best behavior from now on." Edgeshot spoke as he turned, a piercing stare directed at Midoriya, Iida and Todoroki.

All the five members of the rescue squad gave a nervous bow while muttering some sort of apology.

"How is your father taking it? Finally achieving the number one spot after all those years?" Edgeshot changed his tone as he turned towards Todoroki in specific.

"Badly." the teen admitted after a short pause.

Edgeshot just shook his head and pulled one of the stools to sit at the kitchen counter, his back now turned towards the five in the living room as he pulled his mask down to eat.

That caused some very curious looks, especially from Midoriya. What did Edgeshot look like underneath his mask?

"Regardless, your grandmother contacted me yesterday. Now that the League knows your secret is just a matter of time before they begin using it to blackmail you, and since your image is tied to mine we need to prepare for the worse. Personally I don't care much about what happens to me, but if you are branded as a murderer before even getting your hero license you will be facing an uphill battle." Kamihara explained as he picked up his meal.

"Can't deny that the thought has crossed my mind. Biggest problem really is what happens to U.A. if the League makes the blood on my hands public knowledge. The school's image has already been dragged through mud since the attack at the USJ, and I am afraid that the fact that they kept my past hidden might be the final nail in the coffin." Machibuse admitted, seeming unfazed by speaking face to face with Japan's most secretive hero… he in fact wasn't aware that seeing Kamihara's face was such a big deal.

Now it downed to everyone in the room how bad the situation actually was, for better or worse U.A. knowingly housed an underage killer. And U.A. absolutely had no room to deal with more distrust from the public.

Machibuse and Kamihara kept discussing the possibilities for about ten minutes, but the biggest problem was that since capturing the League before they managed to spread the information was pretty much impossible, and that meant that all the strategies had to be reactive to their actions.

Then Midoriya suddenly shot to his feet.

"Tell everyone before the League does so." the greenhead spoke firmly.

"Excuse me?" Machibuse asked, leaning slightly forward as if he had misheard his classmate.

Edgeshot by now was just lowering the bowl from his lips, he was not about to waste the broth. Then he promptly pulled his mask back up and mimicked Machibuse's confused reaction perfectly.

"B-but, huh… y-you do it somewhere specific! U-u-use t-the Edgeshot Forums!" Midoriya's bravado completely escaped him.

"Last thing I saw from that site was when Hatsume-san showed me a thread that "proved" that he is my father." Machibuse observed ironically as he pointed towards the Ninja Hero.

"My favorite theory is the one that says that there are multiple Edgeshots across Japan as to explain how I make it from one place to another so fast… I just take the train when I need to leave Tokyo." Kamihara commented.

Then it clicked.

"If we say what the League knows as a theory in there before the League has a chance to speak…" Machibuse began.

"Then no one will take the League's words seriously… they will look like idiots that fell for a hoax." Midoriya concluded.

"Permission to break protocol?" Machibuse asked, clearly baffled by possibility.

People just nodded in accordance.

"Deku, you are a fucking genius." Machibuse praised, slowly clapping his hands.

People were about to comment on the plan, but the doorbell ringing called their attention.

"Bakugo-san maybe?" Yaoyorozu suggested puzzled.

"Hmm, dunno… pretty sure he doesn't have the address, and he would've asked me for it." Kirishima responded as he eye the door.

"The hag said she would come today, but it's far too early." Machibuse pondered, already on his way to open the door.

A familiar looking cable quickly whipped at him the instant he pulled the door open. It firmly embedded itself into his skin and delivered a throbbing painful sensation all across his body.

"I guess I deserve this." Machibuse gritted his teeth as Jiro and Shoji entered through the doorway. His Lieutenant now berating him about his stupid idea of running away while Shoji just greeted everyone as if nothing happened behind him.

His mask doing a good job at hiding his surprise about Edgeshot being amongst the people in Machibuse's apartment. He would never get used to that.

After about a minute of torturing her Captain, Jiro seemed satisfied and joined everyone in the living room.

"Suppose that I should take my leave, about time I resume my patrol. Keep me informed, White Rider… thanks for the meal." Edgeshot spoke as he got up.

"Always welcome, Sir." Machibuse responded, still mildly stunned, as he got up to watch the Ninja Hero making it towards the balcony and leaping off.

"So, what do we have here?" Jiro asked, not expecting to see so many familiar faces today.

"I told you that these five decided to go after him." Shoji shrugged as he made his way towards the kitchen and began pouring himself a bowl of soba.

"Jiro-kun! Good to see you in good health!" Iida quickly stood up with a hand held high.

"Divulging highly classified information." Machibuse responded the question Jiro posed.

"Oh…" she was quick to understand what he meant by that. The stack of papers stamped with the word "classified" on Midoriya's lap made it very apparent.

"Suppose that there is nothing stopping me from telling you two about… OW!" Machibuse began, but a quick whip from Jiro's Earphone Jack at one of his hands stopped him from talking.

"Honestly Captain, we don't wanna hear it. We know it is something bad that you just want to leave behind... So as long as you promise to not do anything stupid like you did yesterday both me and Shoji fine with just keep on keeping on." Jiro proposed, shoving her hands inside her pockets after a heavy sigh.

Shoji just gave a short nod as he made his way out of the kitchen.

"You two have my word, thank you for being here for me. Just wish someone else had been so understanding…" Machibuse responded with a visibly saddened smile, causing Yaoyorozu to turn her eyes to the floor and clench her fists.

For someone so proficient in being discreet Machibuse was sure to make his intentions clear with those words. Yaoyorozu had a long road ahead of her apparently.

"Besides injuring me, anything else that brings you two here?" Machibuse sighed as he meandered towards the kitchen to prepare one serving for Jiro.

"Actually she just really wanted to hit you, so nothing much… by the way, this was at your door. It's from U.A." Shoji responded as he sat down on the stool Edgeshot previously occupied, one of his extra hands holding out an envelope for Machibuse.

The cook just picked the package up and pulled it's contents out with curiosity. The postman must have come while he was telling his story.

Machibuse took to reading the thing twice, then for a third time just to be sure.

"What is it?" Yaoyorozu asked as she watched his confused reaction, somehow pushing that last bash.

"Apparently we will be seeing each other a lot more… U.A. wants to move their alumni to dorms inside the school campus as a way to keep the students out of the villains' reach. We are to expect a visit from someone of U.A.'s school board tomorrow, most likely Aisawa-sensei, to explain the dorm system personally and answer any questions..." Machibuse responded.

"…at least you guys should expect that. The hag apparently has already signed these papers, so I am on board already as it seems." he added after noticing his grandmother's familiar handwriting.

"U.A. wants us to move!?" Iida quickly rushed towards the kitchen in his usual attempt to not run as to have a look at the papers.

"THAT'S AWESOME!" Kirishima followed right behind, not bothering with not running.

"Suppose that it makes sense, we will be much safer within U.A.'s barrier. The last two encounters we had with the League were out in the open after all." Yaoyorozu concluded.

"Affirmative. Although it should be a bigger deal for all of you than it is for me or Shoji-san. If I remember correctly Uraraka-san, Koda-san and almost half of class B also live in rented places, so, at least for us who come from a long way from Tokyo this is much more convenient." Machibuse pointed out, now handing a bowl of food to Jiro.

It didn't escape Machibuse how Todoroki's expression shifted slightly, likely because of the prospect of moving away from his father.

The discussion about the ins and outs of having all of Class A under one roof went for about thirty or so minutes to varying levels of excitement. The idea of living with Mineta and Bakugo was troubling to say the least, but the positives far outweighed the negatives.

It was a matter of seeing how things would play out once the move effectively began in two days.

"I should make haste to my house then! I need to prepare to move and there is no time to waste!" Iida concluded, breaking the brief silence that had settled in the living room once everyone finished speaking about the news.

"Yeah, you are right." Midoriya agreed with a firm nod.

"I can't wait!" Kirishima was barely keeping himself in check.

One by one the students got to their feet to help Machibuse to clean the place up. Soon enough they were ready to leave.

"Machibuse-san… thank you for telling us. It's a lot to think about, but at least now I can try to understand why you did what you did. I guess that I… that all of us just need some time to think about everything." Midoriya offered nervously as he reached for the door.

"It will be hard for all of us, but all I can hope for is that things go back to how they were before." Machibuse responded with an honest smile as everyone turned to leave.

Everyone but Yaoyorozu.

"Hakuba, I need to speak with you about something still…" she spoke uncomfortably, afraid to hear a no.

"Very well. Everyone, suppose we see each other in two days then." Machibuse nodded before turning to close the door behind his friends.

Both of them could hear the comments about their situation coming from the corridor outside as they stood in silence for a moment.

"I apologize for being so rough with you in front of them, suppose that I am not entirely over it yet… You were right about telling them the truth to clear things up." Hakuba admitted as he made it back to the couch.

"It's not about that." Momo responded as she sat down by his side, not as close as she wanted to, but she promised not to push.

Hakuba just gave her a confused look.

"I found this inside that envelope… decided to keep it with me instead of showing it to everyone." Momo explained as she picked up a micro SD card from her wallet.

"What is that?" Hakuba asked as she handed him the diminutive artefact.

"There is a single file in there. An audio… you should listen to it." Momo answered, clearly apprehensive.

Hakuba picked up his cellphone and after a moment to exchange his card for the one Momo had just handed him he got the audio started.

The first sound he recognized was that of water rushing into an enclosed space.

Then someone breathing, painfully so.

Momo moved closed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. She knew that soon it would begin. He tensed up immediately, but not because of her touch. Hakuba knew that voice.

" _Hakuba… hey…"_

He tugged on Momo's clothing like a lifeline, his lips trembled as his eyes begun tearing up like they had never done over the last four years. He had never expected to hear that voice again.

Those were his mother's last words.

-.

 **July 25th** , **Maximum Security Prison For Villain Criminals – Tartarus, S-Rank Row, 1930.**

"The hag said you wanted to speak with me, Chizome-san."

Machibuse slowly closed the door behind him, for the first time he was left alone with Stain. About two hours ago his grandmother had shown up at his apartment, telling him to get ready to leave for Tartarus. She had spoken to the Hero Killer prior to the assault on the League of Villain's hideout.

Something important came up during their conversation apparently.

"This will only take a moment, kid, but you might want to sit down." Chizome suggested, his tone intense as usual.

"Before you begin, I really need to ask you something." Hakuba spoke as he pulled the chair.

"What is it?" Stain inquired, noticing the teen's nervous semblance.

"The people you killed, Chizome-san… do they haunt you?" Hakuba asked frankly.

"No." the Hero Killer answered without a second thought.

A grueling silence followed that.

"That is what sets you and I apart… ahh… the lives you took still weight down on you." Chizome spoke, reading Hakuba's thoughts as an open book.

"So she told you…" Hakuba sighed in defeat, his shoulders slumping.

"It was clear to me that you were hiding something the last time we talked. Learning to just who you are connected to got me to make the right questions… ahh… but that is not why I asked to speak with you." Chizome spoke, his eyes clearly scanning every detail of Hakuba's face.

"I said to you on that day that your eyes were familiar to me. But you were not the first person to give me this sensation; there was a woman once, five years ago while I was still acting as Stendhal, you and that woman are connected. Very much so." the Hero Killer continued, earning a confused look from Hakuba.

"I came to learn her by a different name than yours, but I'm sure you will know who I'm talking about… ahh… Alpha Six, one of her subordinates, a massive old coot, called her "Honekawa"." Chizome concluded, still paying attention to every minor change in the boy's expression.

Not that he needed to.

"YOU MET MY MOTHER!?" Hakuba shot up to his feet, quickly pushing both his hands against the glass that divided both sides of the room.

The robotic voice of the security system immediately ordered him to move away from the glass.

Hakuba stepped back but did not sit down.

"There was a mark that both of us were after: I wanted the man dead, your mother wanted him arrested and brought in for questioning. The fight lasted for less than a minute… ahh… was the first time I missed a kill." Stain explained.

"Mom beat you." Hakuba mused, not all that surprised about that result.

"Nailed my foot to the floor of the truck we were fighting on after punching me in the jaw, next thing I saw was her jumping off onto a car with the mark while I was carried away. Last thing she told me was that if I was interested on a job at her squad all I needed to do was ask for her at the Ministry of Defense." Chizome laughed, amused by that memory.

Hakuba just couldn't find words to express himself.

"I learned about a year later that she had been killed… ahh… that was around the same time I got a tip about someone that needed to be cut down, some false hero tied to a Chinese gang." Chizome finished his tale.

"A tip from the former head of the Ministry of Defense." Hakuba concluded.

"I believe so." Chizome responded.

"So you avenged her…" Hakuba plopped down onto the chair once more. It was a lot to take in; Stain and his mother had fought, his grandmother used him as a means to get her own revenge…

"It would be naïve to think that the fake I killed was the one behind what happened to your mother, kid. He was too weak, too cowardly. There are still too many loose ends on that story… ahh… but I wanted you to know that at least some of the culprits are already dead and rotting." Stain offered with a toothy grin.

"You have my gratitude, Chizome-san… but why are you telling me this right now?" Hakuba questioned as he bowed down in respect.

"Because you swore to me that you will not strand from the path. You cannot allow yourself to fall for the same reckless revenge that got your friend Ingenium to confront me in Hosu." Chizome warned in a stern tone.

Hakuba gritted his teeth.

"Your grandmother tried to squeeze information out of All For One earlier today. If it wasn't his work then you need to be on your guard White Rider… ahh… someone might be hunting you right now, and when you two face off then you will have to prove yourself a true hero and do the right thing."

-.

 **July 27th** , **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 1300.**

Class 1-A had been finally reunited for the first time since the attack at the summer camp. And all of them were clearly amazed by the sight in front of them.

Their new housing was massive.

"For now, I'm just glad that we were able to bring Class 1-A back together again." Aisawa greeted his students with a tinge of happiness in his monotone voice.

"Everyone was allowed to move to the dorms, huh?" Sero spoke with an enthusiastic tone.

"I had a hard time…" Hagakure slumped forward in relief.

"That's normal…" Jiro observed, trying to get the invisible girl's spirit back up.

"You two got affected pretty bad because of that gas, isn't that why it was so hard?" Ojiro pondered as he turned to the two.

"We were all able to be together again because of the teachers. When I watched that press conference I thought that we'd lose them, it made me sad." Asui now spoke as she turned her attention to their homeroom teacher.

"I was surprised, too… Well, I'm sure everyone here has different circumstances. Now, I'll explain briefly about the dorms, but first…" Aisawa responded to that, giving himself a brief pause before calling everyone's attention.

"For now we will focus on getting your provisional licenses, the training camp was to prepare you guys for that and we still have much to do." the teacher explained.

" _Oh, so we can finally stop worrying about not being allowed to act as heroes."_ Machibuse thought with some relief.

"So much happened that I forgot about the licenses…" Uraraka admitted.

"Also, this is important. So listen up… Kirishima. Yaoyorozu. Todoroki. Midoriya. Iida. These five went to save Bakugo and Machibuse that night." Aisawa spoke coldly.

Tension immediately shot through the roof.

"Your reaction tell me that you all were at least aware of it… I'm going to set aside a number of issues and say this: If it weren't for All Might's retirement and all the commotion that caused, I would've expelled everyone but Machibuse, Bakugo, Jiro and Hagakure. Of course the five that went, but also the other eleven that knew about their plan and did nothing to stop it. You all betrayed our trust, no matter the reason. It's worth mentioning that Machibuse ran from the authorities after everything as said and done… it is something out of our jurisdiction, but he is also on thin ice. I would greatly appreciate if you could follow the proper procedures from now on in order to regain that trust." Aisawa's heavy tone caused all of the students to coil.

"That's all. Let's get inside. Have some energy!" he concluded, completely going around the situation he had created and making his way towards the building behind him.

All the twenty students just stood there stunned, uncapable of lifting their heads after that bomb.

Then Bakugo grabbed Kaminari by the collar and dragged him behind the greenery.

What followed, to everyone's surprise, was a massive electric discharge.

"Yay…" Kaminari's brain was completely fried as he made his way back.

Bakugo was doing his best to get everyone's spirits back up, the asshole did care after all.

"What? What did Bakugo do…?" Sero asked as people started to snicker.

The Lieutenant was losing it as usual.

Machibuse had to help the cause.

"He brought the great Stun Gun Hero: Chargedolt to protect us, obviously." he commented without losing his tone before turning to follow Aisawa.

Laughter broke at his back as Kirishima shouted something about buying food for everyone.

"Chargedolt, huh?" Bakugo asked mildly amused as he now walked by his side.

"The nickname is your fault for being a bad influence, Bakugo-san." Machibuse chuckled as both of them reached the doors.

With that problem properly dealt with Class 1-A finally entered the dorms for the first time.

"Everyone in Class 1-A will be housed in this building. Girls on the right, boys on the left. First floor is the common area: kitchen, baths and laundry are on this floor." Aisawa begun explaining.

Now the students were really pumped.

Machibuse mentally gave himself a high-five as he eyed the courtyard, he finally had a decent space for exercising., but his first stop had to be the kitchen.

"You and I are going to see this place a lot." Asui commented as she also entered the kitchen.

"Is it all that bad, Tsu-chan?" Machibuse asked, carefully studying the area he most likely would end up being responsible for.

"Call me Tsu…" Asui responded instinctively before realizing what just happened.

"Don't get too used to it." Machibuse spoke as he now begun heading out. Asui was hard to read, but it was easy to see that she took the news about the rescue very badly.

Machibuse's ears were greeted by Aisawa openly threatening Mineta over something regarding the bathrooms and laundry area.

Not unexpected from the pervert really.

"Rooms start on the second floor: Five floors in total with four rooms in each of them. That means that everyone gets their own room. They are spacious, equipped with their own air conditioning, toilets, fridges and closets." Aisawa explained as the group now reached the second floor of and made it in the first room on the girls side.

"There is even a balcony!" Midoriya gasped as he made his way to the exterior area.

Machibuse could only picture finally being able to use the lounge chair he brought for his previous home to bask in the sun.

Inside the room he could only hear Yaoyorozu commenting about how the room was about the size of her closet back in Nagoya while Uraraka was shouting something about now living in a mansion.

He easily sided with Uraraka on that one.

"Get to unpacking your stuff. We will discuss about what will happen from now on tomorrow and training resumes on the first of August." Aisawa called them all back to the corridor, holding out a plaque that showed who was in each room.

Fifth floor, last room from the stairs. Just above Shoji's and across Yaoyorozu's. Oddly enough the room that shared a wall with his was empty… Machibuse couldn't help but feel that someone was supposed to be there.

Anyway… he was on the top floor.

That meant that there was no balcony above his.

Every penny spent on that lounge chair became worth two.

-.

 **July 27th** , **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 2100.**

Kirishima finally got back, that meant that all the boys were done. The redhead was given a late start on the unpacking job as he had to deal with buying the food for tonight.

"Done unpacking, huh?" Sero asked as he watched Kirishima slumping down into the couch.

"Yeah, finally… Machibuse is it really cool to leave you with all that cooking?" Kirishima grunted tiredly before turning his head towards Machibuse.

"Affirmative. I'm at least partially to blame for all that money you had to spend on that night vision gear. Homemade costs far less than ordering food, so if I can help ease the burden then I will do it wholeheartedly." Machibuse responded, most of the preparations were already done, just a matter of waiting for the meat to marinate.

"How things ended up this way was pretty bad, but it is kinda of exciting to live together, huh?" Kaminari asked away, the day of unpacking did nothing to his excitement.

"Yeah." Midoriya agreed.

"Living together… This is also training to help us learn cooperation and discipline!" Iida spoke firmly while sharply moving his arms around.

"Going all out, huh, Iida?" Kirishima followed up.

"Boys, are you all done with your rooms?" Ashido's voice came from the other side of the common area. All the girls but Asui with her.

"Yup. Just chilling now." Kaminari responded.

"Well, the girls were all talking now…" Ashido began. She was way more excited than she should be.

"…we got an idea!" Hagakure finished the sentence.

" _This will not end well."_ Machibuse thought as he kept his façade.

"Want to have a room presentation contest?" Ashido suggested eagerly.

Mineta, Tokoyami, Midoriya and Machibuse all froze for a moment.

And then before they were able to protest everyone started moving to Midoriya's room.

The door openend.

And everything was All Might.

Figures, posters, photos and even the damn curtain was All Might themed.

"It's an otaku's room!" Uraraka shouted out.

"It's because I admire him… this is so embarrassing…" Midoriya muttered meekly as he refused to look towards the people in his room.

"Crap, they just started something…" Kaminari was doing his best to keep it down.

"But this is kinda of fun…" Sero joined in.

Next door was Aoyama's, but Tokoyami firmly holding his ground leaning against his own door just drew too much attention.

There was a brief struggle, but soon Ashido and Hagakure pushed him and ran inside.

There was no escaping now.

"Scary!" the two girls shouted as everyone began peeking in.

Skulls, dim purple lights, black cloths… Both Midoriya and Machibuse were much more amused than they should.

"I think I bought a keychain like this one on middle school…" Kaminari pondered as he picked something up.

"So boys like these kinds of things?" Ashido asked to no one in particular.

"Get out…" Tokoyami demanded.

"A sword…! So cool!" Midoriya gasped as he spotted something.

Machibuse could only quirk an eyebrow.

"GET OUT!" Tokoyami shouted.

Now back to Aoyama.

The contrast between his room and Tokoyami's was just ridiculous. The suit of armor was a nice touch, but the bad far outweighed the good in that room.

"This is getting fun! The last person on the second floor is…" Uraraka was now getting into the game, only to realize that the last person in the second floor was none other than Mineta.

Likely the creep was the reason why the girl's rooms were all on the floors other than the second.

"Come on… I will show you something amazing…" Mineta peeked from the slightly open door. Something foul was surely inside that place and no amount of holy water would cleanse it.

Everyone took the rational approach and decided to go to the next floor.

Ojiro was the next on the chopping block. And it didn't even seem like he had furnished his room at all. There was normal and then there was bland.

The group quickly moved to Iida's room after picking on Ojiro for a bit, and there were books everywhere. Every single speck of dust, of which there were very few, seemed to be well organized.

"There is nothing strange here." Iida proudly announced.

Then Uraraka noticed something and had to do her best to not break down into hysterical laughter.

"There are so many glasses!" she basically spitted the words as the class president explained the reason behind all the eyewear. It was a sound logic… but that still failed to justify why he had over thirty pairs of glasses divided into four shelves.

Another immense contrast kept apart by a single wall. What Iida's room had of organization Kaminari had in just plain chaos. The guy had literally a bit of everything in his room: License plates, a dart board, a basketball, winter gear, headphones, fedoras…

"It's just like he used everything he could lay his hands on." Jiro commented.

"My thoughts exactly." Machibuse agreed.

"What!? Isn't it great!?" Kaminari surely expected a different reaction.

Koda's turn.

The room itself was pretty simple, but apparently the quiet giant had an ace under his sleeve.

"A rabbit! So cute!" Uraraka and Ashido promptly began petting the small white ball of fur.

Machibuse curiously approached the pet while Kaminari complained about fair play.

The rabbit immediately took off, vanishing underneath the green curtain the instant it noticed Machibuse.

"Aw…" Uraraka moaned in dismay.

"Was it something I did?" Machibuse eyed the curtain confusedly.

"Animals know when a predator is near…" Mineta spoke, sympathizing with the rabbit. All five of 1-A's students that now were aware of Machibuse's secret came to a dire realization: Mineta was right about Machibuse all along.

Fourth floor was next, but before that there was a small gathering in front of the stairs.

"I am not satisfied with this…" Kaminari complained.

"What a coincidence. Neither am I." Ojiro agreed.

"Yeah." Tokoyami and Aoyama both spoke in unison.

"It's weird for the boys to be the only ones being picked on, right? You said this was a room presentation contest, right? Then of course we should also see the girl's rooms before deciding, right? We should decide who has the best amongst _everyone_ in class, right?" Mineta came in with an ultimatum.

The air became heavy for an instant.

"Sounds good!" Ashido agreed immediately without a care in the world.

"Eh!?" Jiro wasn't very fond of the idea however.

"So from now on we will be deciding who has the best taste in interior decoration in the class! Who will be the Room King!" Ashido proclaimed with gusto.

Unfortunately that was enough to make at least some of the students feel competitive, and that meant that everyone there was about to be dragged along. Even those who simply didn't care about the contest.

Machibuse took a deep breath, things had taken a turn for the worse.

The show would go on.

"The ones on the boy's side of the fourth floor are Bakugo, Kirishima and Shoji, right?" Uraraka asked.

"Right, but where is Bakugo-kun?" Iida posed his own question now.

"He said, "This is lame. I'm going to sleep." and went to his room before we even began." Kirishima explained.

"That was an option? Well, I am going to the kitchen then." Machibuse spoke, clearly wanting out of the contest.

Ashido and Hagakure were quick to hook an arm each around Machibuse's elbows and drag him to the next room.

"Not escaping!" they both laughed at his situation.

"I don't really care… but I don't think you girl's will get it." Kirishima warned as he opened his door.

"This is manliness!" Kirishima promptly assumed a striking pose, clearly proud of his manly room filled from top to bottom with manly things.

Ashido just stared at her long-time friend with the blandest expression possible.

"This looks like something that would rank second in a contest of worst room for your boyfriend." Hagakure stated frankly.

Uraraka however…

"It's so hot! So hot and stuffy!" she praised, causing the already defeated boys to just feel even worse.

"Next one! Shoji!" Ashido called out as she turned to the tallest member of the group.

" _Now this is going to be good."_ Machibuse did his best to remain stoic as Ashido and Hagakure dragged him back to the corridor. He knew what was coming next.

"There is nothing interesting here." Shoji informed as he reached for the doorknob.

"Nothing interesting!? There is nothing at all!" Ashido absolutely lost it.

"You got yourself a desk now. Twice as much mobilia when you compare it to your previous room." Machibuse commented, now finally freed from the grip.

"Didn't took you for a minimalist." Todoroki observed as he turned to Shoji.

"Never really cared about having a lot of stuff." Shoji responded was people began walking out.

"Fifth floor now! Next one is Sero!" Ashido regained her composure.

"Are we really doing everyone?" Sero whined for a moment.

It was all a ruse.

Sero had this one in the bag. Mostly southeastern Asian in style, albeit it did stroke Machibuse's pride a little to see a traditional pattern from Okinawa on the carpet.

"Well, I am flattered." Machibuse commented as he pointed towards the Kariyushi.

"Didn't knew you liked this stuff." Jiro praised the room owner.

"Always expect the unexpected!" Sero dismissed the praises but was clearly enjoying them.

"Next! Next!" Hagakure hurried everyone along.

"Next is Todoroki-san, right?" Yaoyorozu asked.

There was a brief moment of tension between the girls, Todoroki was high on their ranks.

"Hurry up and let's get this over with… I'm getting sleepy." Todoroki complained as he opened the door.

Shock.

"A Japanese-style room!?" Kaminari was baffled.

"Was it made differently!?" Mineta couldn't believe his eyes.

"I have tatami floor back at home, can't really relax on wood." Todoroki justified his choice.

"Who cares why!? How did you remodel the place in one day!?" Mineta wasn't having any of it.

"I worked hard." Todoroki responded plainly, making things even worse.

"Were we allowed to change the flooring?" Machibuse asked out of curiosity.

"Didn't ask about it, just went ahead and replaced it." Todoroki responded.

"Guess I should have done the same. I need to keep Quirk from tearing up the wood flooring from mine." Machibuse sighed in defeat as he headed out.

It was time.

"Now the last of the boys!" Ashido pressed on.

Machibuse took a deep breath.

"What? You left everything boxed in?" Yaoyorozu jabbed, noticing his very much displeased situation.

"Negative. I asked the hag to take most of that stuff back to Okinawa with her." Machibuse responded.

"Then what are you so anxious about showing?" Yaoyorozu pressed on, she knew that look.

Another deep breath.

"That is one bridge we are all going to cross now." Machibuse shook his head and opened the door.

Light gray walls dotted with a few shelves and the small rack where the shamisen rested on, divided by a dark red curtain sporting traditional Okinawan floral patterns. The half open door to the balcony gave access to a wooden lounge chair.

On the floor rested a carped much similar to the curtain that covered most of the wooden boards with a small wooden table resting in the center. Pressed against the right wall was a light brown couch that indubitably also served as Machibuse's bed given the size, just a matter of taking out the cushioning that made the backrest. On the opposite side of the room was a drawer with a thirty something inches television resting on top of it. A box containing about twenty of those really bad scare movies Machibuse was so fond of rested on top of the DVD player.

Besides the drawer was the finally unboxed desk, with the old notebook on top of it alongside some knick-knacks. The envelope with the dossier was nowhere in sight.

"Finally got rid of that box." Yaoyorozu commented, still not seeing what had him so apprehensive.

"Was about time." Machibuse responded as he watched the more invasive of his classmates studied the room.

Sero and Kirishima were getting dangerously close.

Yaoyorozu took to observing the shelves. There she could spot the portrait of his parents and the two stones with their names, the pair of tengu geta she saw him using during their time at the festival in Nagoya, medicine and chemistry books, cookbooks, about a dozen medals from the military, a first-place cup from some archery event… nothing out of the ordinary.

Then her eyes reached the very end of the shelf, near the far wall of the room.

"The hell you did to this sword, Machibuse?" Sero asked curiously.

In front of him and Kirishima was a heavily damaged katana, dark red hilt and no guard around the copper colored collar of the blade. The weapon rested on a rack that housed both it and the also dark red scabbard, somewhat isolated from everything else in that shelf.

Tokoyami now approached the weapon with interest.

Todoroki's eyes were shot open.

"Isn't that…" Midoriya muttered nervously.

"MACHIBUSE-KUN! WHY DO YOU HAVE THE HERO KILLER'S SWORD!?" Iida's voice filled the room.

The three boys closer to the weapon took a step back instinctively.

No one spoke a word while Machibuse calmly made his way towards sword. Picking it up with a heavy sigh. He stared at his distorted reflection on the chipped blade for a moment before placing it back onto the rack.

"I told you that I intended on keeping it." Machibuse offered, trying his best to calm Iida down.

"This doesn't answer my question! I saw the police taking that sword as evidence!" Iida spat back, walking towards Machibuse with heavy steps.

"It was passed down to me by Akaguro Chizome himself. I visited him in prison after the Hosu incident." Machibuse admitted.

"You what!?" Iida was really on edge now.

"Back then he said something that really troubled me: That we were alike. I went to Tartarus to know what he meant by that… this sword is a deterrent. To remind me that I am just one mistake away from falling off the path." Machibuse explained, those words ringing much harder to the five that had learned about his past.

"This sword…! That man almost killed the four of us. He almost took my arm… he took my brother's legs and the lives of many more people." Iida greeted his teeth now.

"Don't mistake the respect I have for Stain for admiration, Iida-san." Machibuse responded.

"Any more secrets I should be aware of?" Iida asked, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath to calm himself.

"A couple. But not now… we have a contest to finish and we shouldn't taint our first night living together with this kind of conversation." Machibuse responded, gesturing towards the door with an honest smile.

People left the room in silence.

"Permission to break protocol?" Machibuse asked as he closed the door.

"Go on." Iida responded, slowly regaining his composure.

"If it makes you feel better, apparently my mother met with the Hero Killer around five years ago. Turns out that she had to beat the shit out of him once." Machibuse spoke, earning a very confused stare from everyone around him.

"It's just what I have been told by Stain himself, was as surprised as you guys are now when I first heard it." he shrugged unknowingly.

"Your family surprises me every time…" Yaoyorozu sighed as the group split, some taking the elevator down while others opted for the stairs.

Soon enough the group reached the girl's side of the dorms. By then their spirits had recovered from the sudden attrition that surged from Machibuse's room.

The Lieutenant was the first victim on the girl's side of the building.

"Honestly I wasn't expecting less of you." Machibuse was the first to speak as he took to counting how many different instruments were around the room.

"You can play all of these!?" Uraraka asked eagerly.

"Yeah… at least the basics." Jiro was visibly flustered, fiddling with her jacks.

"Not girly at all…" Kaminari spoke up.

"Unladylike!" Aoyama followed suit.

"Now, next room." Jiro spoke as she ushered everyone out, her Earphone Jack taking care of teaching the two some proper manners.

"Next is me!" Hagakure chirped in happily.

It was very… pink. Machibuse couldn't deny that he expected that from Ashido instead.

"It's like a normal girl's!" Kaminari pointed out, a little too happy with the experience of being in a girl's room.

That was followed by Mineta being Mineta. The creep was actually sniffing Hagakure's drawer. He froze immediately when a familiar hand landed on his shoulder.

"Sero-san, this might sound oddly specific but if you were to make a mummy about his size, how much tape would you use?" Machibuse asked as he carried the now asleep pervert back to the corridor.

That done they now proceeded to the fourth floor.

Ashido's room was… yes, very pink as expected. But whereas Hagakure's was on the more girly side, Ashido had a distinctly more mature air.

The room that followed was Uraraka's, who admitted that her's was the boring room from the girl's side. Midoriya took it surprisingly well about entering her room, Machibuse couldn't deny that he expected at least some stuttering.

Now on the fifth floor.

"Next is Asui-san…" Midoriya pointed out.

"Yeah, but where is she?" Sero asked, ignoring the floating mummy tied to his elbow.

"Oh, Tsu-chan said she wasn't feeling well." Uraraka explained, prompting everyone to now make it towards the last room.

Something felt odd about that.

Regardless, it was time to finish that contest. One room left.

"Then the last one is Yaoyorozu!" Kaminari spoke as the door opened half way.

"Well, I have to admit I miscalculated. Unlike your rooms filled with originality, mine became a little cramped." Yaoyorozu spoke before fully opening her room to the visitors.

She had brought the furniture from her house. Her massive furniture from her massive house.

"I didn't think that the room was going to be so small…" Yaoyorozu blushed as she explained how her room ended up like that.

Machibuse couldn't help but walk further inside. Just how did she managed to get a bed so big trough that door? Sure, she could have just assembled the frame, but there was no way for her to get the mattress inside without at least taking the doors of the balcony out. And she was on the fifth floor! How!?

At least she hadn't brought the piano with her…

"Well, if anything the bed sure has space for the two of you…" Ashido teased, throwing her arm around Machibuse's shoulder.

Machibuse just rolled with it, it was too late into the night for him to deal with that.

He was just about to leave when something caught his eye.

Resting on top of her desk was the photos they took together in I-Island. Both of them looked really happy.

"We had some good moments…" Momo spoke as she stopped by his side.

"We definitely did." Hakuba answered, taking one last look at the photo strip.

"You want to ask me about Stain, I assume." Hakuba added after a brief pause.

"I do, but I won't… I always felt like you got a nervous when we spoke about him, at least now I know why. But I told you before, only you four will ever understand what happened in Hosu. It is not my place to judge." Momo responded, motioning for them to leave before people began asking questions.

"Thank you for understanding." Hakuba gave her hand a tight squeeze.

"Thank you for being here." Momo enjoyed the contact for as long as it lasted.

They would make more moments like the one in that picture.

Soon Class 1-A, minus Asui and Bakugo were back at the common area.

"Now! Everyone cast your votes!" Ashido called out, handing pieces of paper to everyone.

"Do I really have to do this?" Machibuse asked as he stared down at the paper presented to him, his stomach was beginning to complain about the wait.

"Don't think that you are escaping this one like you did the vote for class president!" Ashido interjected, pushing the paper on his hands.

"Sure… Tokoyami-san has my vote. I will be at the kitchen if you guys need me, dinner should be ready in about an hour." Machibuse spoke, basically sidestepping around Ashido as to make his escape as fast as possible.

"Huh?"

"What? I named myself after a figure from the book of apocalypse... I like scary stuff. And don't bother voting for me, if I win then I'd be obligated to stop everything I am doing."

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Took me thirty-eight chapters to realize that I took Sato out. Let that sink in.**_

 _ **Regardless, we are just about to begin the second semester! That means we finally are going to have a break from all the tension regarding Hakuba. Or not.**_

 _ **Also, get ready for some more characters to become more frequent in the story now that we reached the dorms.**_

 _ **Until next time!**_


	39. Loose Ends, New Beginnings

_**Sorry for the delay, had my sister's wedding to attend to and actually had to get out of the country for a couple of days because of it. My now brother-in-law is from Ireland, so I took the opportunity to do some tourism out there in the meantime. Nice place, less leprechauns than expected however.**_

 _ **Regardless, during this little break we passed the 300 followers mark AND the 70k views. You guys are wild sometimes.**_

 **-.**

 **July 28th** , **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, Courtyard, 0725.**

 _*taptaptaptaptaptaptaptaptap*_

"Just watching you is getting me tired already…" Jiro commented from the doorway as she and Ashido stopped by. The girls were on their way to the baths by the stuff they were carrying and apparently both had just gotten out of bed.

"I have been slacking over the past few days." Machibuse responded as he allowed himself to stop skipping rope to greet his classmates.

"Lieutenant, Ashido-san. Good morning." he bowed his head lightly as he approached.

""Slacking" is not how I'd put given what happened over the last week, Captain." Jiro spoke, tilting her head slightly to the side as she begun untangling one of her jacks. It had never crossed Machibuse's mind that the everyday issue of finding out knotty cables was much more bothersome to someone with literal cables for earlobes.

"You do this every day?" Ashido asked curiously.

"Negative. Skipping rope is only part of my Thursday routine; A hundred push-ups, a hundred sit-ups, fifteen minutes of rope skipping. I am about to follow up with a sixteen-kilometer run if any of you want to join." Machibuse answered, whipping the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.

"Huh, no wonder you look this good..." Ashido muttered absent mindedly as she poked Machibuse's abdomen through his white tank-top, causing him to blush lightly and causing Jiro to snicker at his reaction.

If anything the contact had been a million times less awkward than when Hatsume had decided that groping him out of nowhere to take measurements was appropriate.

"Guess we'll pass… anyway, any ideas of what we got ahead of us today? Aisawa-sensei said he would stop by." Jiro asked.

"I am afraid not. Iida-san likely has more information than I do; he entered the baths not too long ago. Want me to go ask him about our schedule?" Machibuse offered as he gestured towards the corridor that led to the boys bathing area.

"Nah, we can ask him later. Gotta get going before Mineta wakes up and starts stalking our side." Jiro sighed as she waved off the offer.

"I swear I'm going to melt him into a puddle if he gets too close to that door. We are going to need to ask Yaomomo for an alarm or something over at the girl's laundry area as well, you all saw what he did on Toru's room!" Ashido warned, her dark eyes squinting as she eyed the forbidden door on the second floor that led to Mineta's room.

"Feel free to inform me about any misbehavior on Mineta-san's part. Now that we are all living under the same roof I will be readily available to deal with him as necessary." Machibuse informed as the group began walking back inside.

"Why do I think this is going to happen sooner than later? If anything the little creep is scared shitless of you since the Sports Festival…" Ashido commented as she rolled her eyes as the girls began heading towards their bath while Machibuse turned towards the elevator on the boys' side, he needed to store his rope and get his running shoes on.

"He has plenty of reasons to be."

-.

 **July 28th** , **U.A. Highschool Campus, 0750.**

Ten kilometers in.

U.A.'s massive campus surely provided a nice choice of paths for Hakuba's morning runs. He had made sure to memorize the map of the school grounds over his first weeks in Tokyo but this was the first time he had ever crossed that particular path he was currently in. The choice in route was purely based on which one seemed to have the least people coming through.

Most of the campus was filled with green areas, divided by roads of various widths that connected the many buildings. One of the Sports Festival's stadiums was within view, but it wasn't the one he'd fought on earlier this year. Given the size it was safe to assume that that one was the stage for the third-year students.

Having to face even bigger crowds wasn't exactly a compelling thought.

Regardless, it was time to loop back around, if his memory served him right then the next turn would lead to the main road to the main building, which was just some five minutes from the dorms.

Not much was going through Machibuse's head at the moment besides the inconvenient event that had snaked its way into his schedule for today, running had always been something that he used to better ignore his problems. Physical exercise had become his coping mechanism over the years, perhaps that was why he was so adamant with not slacking on his routine.

If anything he was picturing how the whole birthday gift situation he created was going to change now that everyone lived together; Today was Sero's turn, and Ashido's would come in just two days. Ingredients were not in short supply but he would need to find out where the closest supermarket was located. Speaking with Kirishima was the first priority upon arriving, given that he had been the one to go out and buy what they needed for yesterday's dinner.

Eleven kilometers in.

"Oh! Seems like I'm not the only one running around these parts! You are from the first year, right? Got lost? The campus is pretty big…" an upbeat voice came from Machibuse's left, just from around the corner of one other path to the main road. This fellow was about as tall as Aisawa but that was where the similarities ended; blonde hair arranged in a cowlick, very muscular build and the goofiest smile possible. The blue P.E. uniform gave away that he was also a student.

Machibuse remembered seeing this fellow a couple of times at the gym where he spared with Kendo.

"Negative, senpai. I am just heading back to the dorms." Machibuse responded, running in place as the man he presumed to be his senior approached.

"Awesome! Mind if tag along? Just about to make my way there as well!" he asked with an enthusiastic gleam in his distinctive oval eyes.

"I do not own the road by any means, please feel free to join." Machibuse offered as now both took to running side-by-side. Even if his new friend was a little too excited for Machibuse's comfort there was no harm to it.

"Togata Mirio, third year! Glad to meetcha!" he introduced himself still with a beaming smile.

"Machibuse Hakuba, Class 1-A. A pleasure to make your acquaintance." Machibuse responded in his usual monotone voice, the exercise barely affecting his protocol.

"From the Kamino incident?" the senior was clearly surprised as they continued to run.

"Also the one that got stabbed by the Hero Killer." Machibuse allowed himself to sigh in defeat as his shoulders slumped slightly for a moment, his fame apparently came from the worst possible situations. In a way this whole "Living in U.A." scenario was his fault for being captured by the League.

"Rough start huh…" Togata offered with a sheepishly grin.

"Very much so, Togata-senpai. Yours was like this as well?" Machibuse agreed, discretely shifting his eyes to the many scars all over his senior's arms as he posed his question.

"Not really… things only picked up steam during late second year for me. Sir whipped me into shape during my internship, you know?" Togata responded, his appreciation for this "Sir" he referred to clear as the sky above them.

"Internship?" Machibuse quirked an eyebrow in curiosity.

"You did some time at a hero agency already, right? Think that but with actual work to do, you will end up learning more about that once you get your provisional license, but don't worry about it now. That's trouble for the you of the next year." Togata waved off the question after the admittedly shallow explanation.

"I am afraid that this is not the case. Apparently U.A. wants us from the first year to obtain our provisional licenses ASAP. We have been targeted multiple times, and more than once we have been left unable to act immediately." Machibuse spoke, now returning his gaze to the road ahead. The dorms were now visible over the tree line, but there were still some good five minutes of running left.

The taller teen just gave a firm nod, agreeing with U.A.'s decision even if the freshman running alongside him didn't seem to eager about being put to test so soon.

"How was your time at the hero agency you ended up in? Having a pro looking for you out there makes a lot of difference when it comes down to finding an internship… I have to say I was lucky to get mine." Togata asked curiously.

"Edgeshot has said that I am welcome to return to his agency when the opportunity presents itself, we ended up getting along well. Better than I could've hoped for actually... If you disregard the part where I got a sword through my abdomen, that is." Machibuse responded, his façade keeping the pride he felt about his relationship with Kamihara hidden.

"Edgeshot? Neat!" Togata commented happily.

"Well, that's good to hear, suppose things are not all that bad for you out here! Don't you agree with me, Machibuse-kun?" he added as if trying to push Machibuse away from the bumpy road he'd been put through and lift his spirit.

"I am afraid I do not share of your enthusiasm, senpai." Machibuse responded flatly.

"Come on! Head held up high! You don't need to be so serious about it!" Togata prodded.

"Actually I do." Machibuse responded, his tone still unchanging.

"What, you are a soldier or something?"

"Affirmative."

"Huh?"

-.

 **July 28th** , **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 1045.**

Aisawa had barely closed the door when disaster struck. Class 1-A's classroom teacher had come to better explain what they would be doing once training resumed on the 1st of August and about the ins and outs of the dorm his students now occupied and just got up and left to get someone to fix one of the showerheads on the boys' bathroom, apparently someone had forgotten to wire up the very first of the eight stalls causing the device to not heat up the water at all. Kaminari had been the one to point out the problem, yet oddly enough he had been not the first one to use the faulty device.

Machibuse was perfectly fine with leaving the showerhead the way it was as in fact he hadn't even noticed the issue up until he left the stall vacant for Kaminari to use. The blonde was still half asleep and the water, still cold from the piping, made sure to kick him awake.

It was a pretty easy fix, and some of the handier students even offered to deal with it, but Aisawa wanted to make sure that U.A. kept it's end of the deal about the pristine quality of the living quarters they provided, even if the problem was just some minor oversight.

The disaster had little to do with the dorms, and even less to do with the great calamities Class 1-A had gone through since the beginning of the year.

In a way that disaster was, by all means, the culmination of various events. The hurricane caused by the butterflies on the other side of the world.

Or in that case, on the other side of the corridor.

"WELL THEN MY DEAR CASANOVA-KUN! IT SEEMS LIKE THE TIME HAS COME!"

Monoma.

Fucking Monoma was basically shouting his lungs out as he opened the door to 1-A's living quarters. Fukidashi Manga adding flying kanji to the blonde's menacing pose made the situation all the more bizarre.

Almost everyone witnessing that scene was left stunned for a moment as things fell into place.

Almost everyone because Ashido, Kaminari and Jiro were absolutely losing it. As were Tokage and Honenuki, visible through the doorway behind Monoma. And unfortunately Tokage made sure to explain just what kind of alias that was as she tried to reel her laughter back.

Sero almost choked on the sweets he was given earlier today, requiring Kirishima, who himself was having trouble breathing, to whack his back a couple of times for good measure. The mighty Bakugo was now grinning, visibly weighting whether or not to retire the "Pinprick" name in favor of that new discovery. Mineta was doing his absolute best to keep it down, the least he provoked that psychopath the better, but Machibuse's reaction to the situation was just fucking priceless.

The tanned teen just stood there with his mouth half open as he stared at Monoma. That only got better when Yaoyorozu called his attention with the most concerned of the looks as Tokage's very, very poor explanation about how her love interest became a "Casanova" left her wondering a little too much.

" _Fucking changing the tattoo to a seventeen today."_ Machibuse's mind was scrambling as he met her look with an absurd expression of shock in his face before he turned to Monoma once more. He couldn't even get words out of his mouth.

"Do you intend on gawking at me the whole day or can we move on? Our little celebratory feast is not going to cook itself." Monoma teased.

Machibuse took a deep breath, doing his best to not spring his weapons as he muttered something in Okinawan gibberish. If people had no way to understand just what he just had said then technically he wasn't breaking protocol by swearing.

"Ashido-san. Kaminari-san. Sero-san. Kirishima-san… this result is most unacceptable." Machibuse gave the four a weary look before moving his eyes towards Yaoyorozu once more.

"Should I be worried?" she asked bluntly.

"Negative. I assure you that this is nothing more than a misunderstanding… one that has garnered much more attention that it should, given how the message was delivered." Machibuse responded, now turning towards Tokage with eyes that would send someone less brave running.

Tokage Setsuna however only laughed harder with this latest development.

" _Good. It will be much easier to change the six to an eight than erasing the six altogether to get a seven in place."_ Machibuse was still having trouble regaining his façade.

"I am not going through all this trouble to share." Momo warned annoyedly, giving Hakuba the benefit of the doubt for the moment.

"How exactly was I turned into the villain for this scenario?" he asked confusedly. They weren't even together anymore… or were they? Hakuba didn't actually knew just what his relationship had become after what happened at the graveyard. Momo had said she loved him regardless of what he had done, and despite what her outburst at Kamino did to him he still wanted to fall in love for her again.

This was all really confusing.

He wasn't trained to deal with this kind of situation.

As calmly as he could, Machibuse gave a short goodbye to his classmates and followed the four members of Class 1-B outside after making a quick stop by the kitchen to pick up a medium-sized case.

"Vlad King-sensei is waiting for us at the parking lot." Honenuki informed as they began heading towards their vehicle's location.

"Very well, I will wait for you there." Machibuse responded before immediately sprinting towards his destination.

"THE HELL ARE YOU RUNNING FOR!?" the four shouted in surprise.

"IT HELPS ME TO KEEP MY FUCKING SANITY."

-.

 **July 28th** , **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-B, 1200.**

This was likely the first time Machibuse interacted with the entirety of Class 1-B outside from the Quirk enhancing hell they all shared during their brief summer camp. It was an interesting experience, to say the least.

Things were weirdly… normal.

Class 1-B had it's fair share of oddballs, yes, but nothing outlandish like the mannerisms of people like Iida, Aoyama, Asui or Midoriya. They were sparred of having a Mineta to call their own and even their resident short-fused troublemaker, Kamakiri Togaru, was far from the standard Bakugo had set. Then again, Machibuse himself was far from "normal".

Monoma's megalomania still stuck out like a sore thumb however, perhaps that was why he had it out for Class 1-A…

"If you don't mind me asking, Machibuse-dono, what do you have in store for us today?" Shishida Jurota politely asked as he approached with the last batch of the ingredients that came on the trunk of Vlad King's car. Kendo had told Machibuse once that the beast-looking Shishida sounded a lot like him, and she wasn't kidding.

That question got the attention of a good number of students.

"Normally I would've gone for something traditional from my homeland, but the opportunity calls for something different. Monoma-san likely boasted about how he managed to get you guys an Okinawan cook straight from "the detestable Class A" and I wanted to have the last laugh. I can be quite the sore loser, you see…" Machibuse responded with mild amusement in his otherwise strict tone as he opened the case that carried the tools of his craft; knives, a meat tenderizer, a modest cutting board and the various other cooking utensils he would come to need. Perhaps the only thing his grandmother had ever gifted him that wasn't tied to her own agenda.

Monoma raised a finger in protest, but his voice was quickly cut as Tokage shoved a napkin into his mouth.

"My gratitude, Tokage-san. Still, the opportunity actually brings up a possibility for me to get some extra practice. Even if Okinawa has it's own culinary tradition, history had it's way of tampering with things… Okinawa was actually under American administration for almost thirty years after World War II and even after Okinawa was handed back to Japan there was still a large American presence in the main islands up until Quirks became too prominent and the Japanese army had to be reinstalled, we Okinawans picked up a liking for many of the traditional meals from the United States for that reason. We call it "A-Lunch" because the American military had to issue a permit for a restaurant to be allowed to serve people that lived in the American bases during the years that followed the war, the "A" stands for "Approved"… it has been a while since the last time I cooked for someone from the U.S., so I would like to see how I am faring on that front." Machibuse explained, now turning his attention to Tsunotori Pony who looked pleasantly surprised.

" _You are the designed judge for today, Miss Tsunotori, so I hope you are hungry."_ Machibuse added, now speaking in the horned girl's native language.

" _Oh! What is it that you are cooking?"_ Pony asked excitedly.

" _Stake, country-fried with a side of mashed potatoes and gravy. Would've gone for a barbecue but we don't have the time nor the equipment for that."_ Machibuse responded, beginning the process of tenderizing the meat as the designed judge now waited eagerly for her meal.

"Food will be served in about sixty minutes. Southern-style stake with gravy and potatoes." Machibuse informed, now returning to Japanese and finally answering Shishida's question.

By now Monoma had finished spitting the bits of wet paper that got stuck to his mouth. His expression was dark as he squinted his eyes.

"You made a point to go for this "A-Lunch" just because you are cooking for Class B, haven't you?"

"As I said, I can be quite the sore loser."

-.

 **July 28th** , **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-B, 1330.**

It had been a meal fitting of a Texan oil tycoon. The steak had been done to a perfect, juicy medium-rare but the crispy, and the golden-brown crust only made it better; creamy mashed potatoes with just the precise amount of garlic whipped into it; and the gravy… boy the gravy.

The judge was much more than pleased with her meal, as were all of her classmates. Monoma had been completely defeated by the A-Lunch, so much he wasn't even complaining about the name.

Machibuse had finished his meal not too long ago, he had mostly eaten in silence as he watched that slice of Class 1-B's life. Things were indeed much different, as evident by how Vlad King had simply joined in as if it was routine. Never in a million years he would expect Aisawa to do the same with naturality.

There were some striking similarities however. People taking cracks at one another, minor arguments here and there and even the obvious lovestruck fool in Kuroiro of all people.

Luckily his pitch-black skin made it so people couldn't see him blushing and luckier yet was the fact that Komori was aparently completely oblivious to how much his behavior changed when they spoke.

Now all that remained for Machibuse to do was clean and store his utensils, his end of the deal now fulfilled with flying colors.

Or so he thought.

Four figures now joined him in the kitchen.

"Can't deny that I felt something out of place during our meal. How can I be of assistance?" Machibuse offered as he whipped the knife he was cleaning dry. Kendo, Tetsutetsu, Kodai and Shiozaki appearing lightly distorted on the reflection.

"There are two different issues apparently." Kendo pointed out as she turned her eyes to Shiozaki.

"Mine is but a small predicament." the vine-haired girl explained as she took to approaching Machibuse.

Shiozaki just stared at him for a moment, her expression visibly angry.

"This time, and this time alone, you will be forgiven for your sinful acts. The fires of Hell are always awaiting for those who stray from the path of righteousness, but for now you have my gratitude." she spoke firmly before bowing softly and leaving the kitchen.

Machibuse blinked twice in confusion. Had he been threatened just now?

"You unbuttoned her shirt. That's her way of saying that she is not angry at you because you did so with good intentions." Kendo sighed.

Machibuse just kept silent for the moment, his mind busy playing a simulation of a discussion between Shiozaki and Tokoyami.

"Anyway… I guess you already know what we want to talk about." Kendo began.

"About what happened when we fought together against that cloned villain, am I correct?" Machibuse asked rhetorically.

Kendo took a deep breath before speaking.

"I told Yaoyorozu about what you did. I messaged her when I learned that she had gone to Kamino on that night."

Machibuse's expression twitched slightly as he stored the knife he had been holding up until now. No wonder Momo reacted how she did; she had just learned about his past deeds and just when Momo was the most unstable she learned about how dangerous he truly was.

"Kirishima told me that you and Yaoyorozu broke up at Kamino... I was the one that pushed Kendo to break the promise we made you. We all felt really bad for keeping _that_ hidden from her, but I was the one to actually drop the ball." Tetsutetsu admitted uncomfortably.

Behind him Machibuse could see Kodai shifting her eyes nervously, yet she remained silent.

"It wasn't our intention to do so much harm to the two of you… It never crossed my mind that she would take it so badly. I'm sorry…" Kendo apologized. For the three of them, it seemed like what had happened between such a happy couple was entirely their fault. Sure, they had a hand in it, but they had no way to know the entire story, no way to know that what triggered that absolute meltdown in that relationship was much worse than what happened at the summer camp.

And Machibuse couldn't even tell them that.

The silence that filled the kitchen was crushing.

"I can try to go and speak with her about it if you want." Kendo offered, clearly unsure about what exactly she would say.

Machibuse allowed himself an honest smile.

"Kendo-san, we will resume our sparing sessions once the second semester begins, yes?" he asked.

"Huh… if want to." Kendo was surprised about that sudden change of subject.

"Then that is plenty for you to do… You see, I am rebuilding a bridge, and I am going to need all the support I can get for that endeavor." Machibuse suggested with a short nod.

"You can count on me then. On all of us." Kendo eagerly accepted. Determination filled her eyes now once more.

Machibuse was just about to leave now that the mood had been restored to a good one.

Then he stopped.

"Permission to break protocol?" Machibuse asked

"Y-yeah, sure." Kendo responded, she would never get used to that.

An awkward expression took the place of his façade for a moment.

"Actually, there something I might need your help with… can you explain this whole "Casanova" thing to her? Tokage-san kinda decided to throw me under the bus earlier today and I just know I'm getting hit when I get back…"

-.

 **August 1st, U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 0905.**

Perhaps the single biggest benefit of the new dorms was how close it was to the classroom. No more cramped trains, no more dealing with the press in the street and no more walking up the hill with sun shining on his eyes.

The dorms were so close in fact that Jiro had to slow herself down in order to finish eating the sweets she was gifted before actually reaching the classroom.

"We are now officially back… I believe I mentioned this a few days ago, but for now Class 1-A of the Hero Course will be focusing on getting their provisional licenses." Aisawa gave his opening statement. Training was put on halt for a moment, but now they had to catch up.

"Yes, Sir!"

"A hero license, even if just a provisional one, bears with it the great responsibility of human life. So, of course the exam to receive one is very difficult. The provisional license exam has only about a fifty percent passing rate each year, and the rates for the official license are even lower." Aisawa informed.

"That low for a provisional?" Mineta muttered in shock.

" _Just another mission I suppose."_ Machibuse told himself.

"That's why today, we will have each one of you come up with not only one but two…" the teacher began, his voice intense as usual.

The door opened.

Midnight, Cementoss and Ectoplasm stepped in, this was going to be serious.

"…today you begin working on your ultimate moves!" Aisawa finished.

" _Ultimate… moves?"_ Machibuse quirked an eyebrow confusedly. The fuck was that supposed to mean?

His classmates however shot to their feet in enthusiasm.

"IT'S A NORMAL SCHOOL ACTIVITY… BUT IT IS A HERO THING AS WELL!"

"A "Ultimate Move" is something that must mean certain victory for you!" Ectoplasm began the explanation, doing his best to ignore the confused stare he received from his fellow countryman.

"It's a move so ingrained in your body that others cannot copy it. Battle means seeing how much you can force what you are good at on your opponent." Cementoss added.

"Your moves will represent you. These days pro heroes without ultimate moves are an endangered species." Midnight stated as she posed.

That was a very problematic remark. Machibuse had a single question in mind but wasn't sure on how to proceed.

Reluctantly he rose his hand.

"Hold on, Machibuse. We are going to answer the questions once we get going. Change into your costumes and meet at Gym Gamma." Aisawa concluded as he pushed the button that revealed the numbered suitcases.

This definitely was not going to be a smooth ride.

-.

 **August 1st, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, Gym Gamma, 0955.**

"Welcome to Gym Gamma, also know as the "Training Dining Land", or TDL for shorts." Aisawa greeted the group as they arrived. Machibuse was sure he had heard that abbreviation somewhere else but couldn't pinpoint where exactly.

"I came up with the idea for this place some time ago. Here terrain and other things can be prepared specifically for each student. That's what the "dining" part is all about." Cementoss explained as he used his Quirk to reshape part of the floor into a small structure that could be climbed.

"I have a question!" Iida's hand shot up.

"Hold on… Machibuse, you wanted to speak earlier, right?" Aisawa asked.

"Affirmative, but let Iida ask his first. Mine is a more technical subject, so it can wait." Machibuse responded.

"Thank you, Machibuse-kun! My question is why must we have our ultimate moves for our provisional license exam? Please tell me your reasoning." Iida asked away, almost the exact question Machibuse wanted to pose.

There was a distinct difference however.

"I will tell you everything in order, calm down… The job of a hero is to save people from danger, like crimes, accidents, natural disasters and man-made disasters. The exam to become one naturally looks at how well you do that. Your ability to gather information, make decisions, move, fight, in addition to your ability to communicate and draw people to you, your ability to lead during crisis. Every year a different test is used to look at how well you do those things." Aisawa began the explanation.

" _So far so good."_ Machibuse felt a little better after learning what the test was all about.

"Of those, your ability to fight is specially important to your future as heroes. Whether or not you have an ultimate move on your sleeve will greatly affect whether or not you pass." Midnight took over the explanation.

"Not being influenced by circumstances and being able to act consistently will for sure make you a great asset on the front lines." Cementoss chimed in before moving towards the center of the gym to begin building up the training area.

" _Well, shit."_ Then it all crashed down.

"Your ultimate moves do not need to be necessary an attack. Iida-kun's Reciproburst for exemple, just the temporary burst of speed is enough of a threat to be worth calling an ultimate move." Ectoplasm explained, causing Iida to be overtaken by joy about his accomplishment.

"So a "ultimate move" means something we can always rely on to win?" Machibuse asked. Wasn't the question he wanted to present, but maybe that would be his way out.

"Exactly. You remember Kamui Woods, right? He played a big part on the rescue effort the other day. He has an ultimate move known as Lacquered Chain Prison, it's a textbook example of an ultimate move. It restrains his opponents before they can react." Midnight responded, for a moment she got worried about Machibuse's "technical" question but seemed like he just had missed the point.

"The training camp was canceled, but the training you all went through to strengthen your Quirks was part of your training to create your ultimate moves. In other words, before the provisional license exam you are all going to be working on your ultimate moves as you develop your Quirks. You will be doing intensive training for the remainder of the month to make up for the last week! Beyond that, now is the time for you to start thinking about possible changes to your costumes to better fit the evolution of your Quirks… get through this is a "Plus Ultra" mentality. Are you ready?" Aisawa concluded the explanation as the arena was finally ready.

"Yes, Sir!"

Class 1-A was all set to…

"Permission to… break… protocol?" Machibuse asked rather awkwardly, his hand high in the air as now every other student turned to look at him.

He pretty much killed the moment.

Aisawa closed his eyes for an instant.

"Go on."

"This might sound particularly stupid, might be just the military in my head not getting through the hero logic…" Machibuse began.

"Indulge me." Aisawa rolled his eyes.

"A "Ultimate Move" is something that we develop to be able to perform consistently, correct?" Machibuse began by reaffirming what was said.

"Yes." the teacher nodded.

"And is also something that should be part of our identity as a hero, like a calling card, correct?" once again Machibuse asked something just to be sure.

"Yes." and once again the teacher nodded.

"Then in my case, given that basically everything I do is rooted on being unpredictable with my technique and unexpected with my plans… the fuck am I supposed to actually do?"

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Nothing more Hakuba-like than shouting something before attacking from his hiding spot in a manner his enemy is ready to deal with.**_

 _ **I received a PM asking about his workout routine last week, good luck to any of you who are willing to try it.**_

 _ **Monday: Forty handstand push-ups, one hundred diagonal crunches, one hundred bicycle reps.**_

 _ **Tuesday: Twenty minutes of shadow boxing, fifty pull-ups, one hundred knee-ups.**_

 _ **Wednesday: One hundred bicycle reps, two hundred Russian twists, fifty one-armed push ups (right), fifty one-armed push-ups (left).**_

 _ **Thursday: One hundred push-ups, one hundred sit-ups, fifteen minutes of rope skipping.**_

 _ **Friday: Twenty minutes of speed bag, one hundred diagonal crunches, one hundred knee-ups.**_

 _ **Saturday: Twenty minutes of heavy bag, one hundred sit-ups, one hundred upside-down squats*.**_

 _ **Sunday: One hundred leg crunches, one hundred leg scissors, one hundred floor whippers.**_

 _ **Every day: Sixteen-kilometer run.**_

 _ **If you are thinking that this is a lot on top of the actual training he does at U.A. then I'd just wanna say that his entire week's workout is literally a single day of Bruce Lee's workout divided across the week. Let that sink in.**_

 _ **With the obvious exception of the *, because that requires you to have hooks on the soles of your feet to anchor yourself to a concrete roof or tree branch in order to do squats from the ceiling.**_

 _ **That's it for now, until next time.**_


	40. Support I

_**Forty, damn.**_

-.

 **August 1st, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, Gym Gamma, 1025.**

The air was filled with a cacophony of sounds as eighteen of the twenty students of Class 1-A pushed forth with developing their ultimate moves, some with more difficult than others but all were making progress.

The remaining two were not doing as well. But their hurdles were vastly different: Midoriya Izuku had a very physical barrier ahead of him as his arms were about to be crippled for life because of the damage his Quirk did to them. Machibuse Hakuba, however…

" _Is an ultimate move truly necessary?"_ the teen asked in his native language as he weaved under one of Ectoplasm's prosthetic legs.

His was a mental barrier.

" _If you have time to complain then you have time to look for a solution."_ the teacher responded mildly annoyed as he spun around to keep the offense. Even if this was not the kind of training intended for today it would be better than just letting Machibuse standing around doing nothing. And besides, Ectoplasm knew that his student worked better under pressure.

He spawned a clone of himself behind Machibuse and closed in.

Machibuse gritted his teeth. One Ectoplasm was already enough trouble, now there were two of them. The situation as getting out of hand.

The clone came in hot with a frontal kick while Ectoplasm himself went for a low sweep, the combined assault forced Machibuse to twist into the air as he kicked off the ground. Now pretty much horizontal to the floor he had very little choice but to brace for the follow-up attack, which at least was going to be fairly weak given the awkward angle it would come from.

Machibuse readied the counter. Even if he managed to get a hold of Ectoplasm's leg he couldn't really deliver his payload, given that the appendage was a faux. He would need to pin his teacher down in order to reach for a valid target.

But was simply left to fall to the ground as both his opponents stepped back for a brief pause.

They had a visitor.

"All Might-sensei." Machibuse greeted as he sprung back to his feet and fluidly transitioned that motion into a bow towards the now skeletal All Might.

"There is no need for that young Machibuse. Heard that you were having some trouble over here, maybe I can be of help." All Might dismissed the formality as he approached.

"Recovery Girl gave you clearance to come back to work?" Ectoplasm asked curiously.

"Not really… but she said it was okay for me to be around as long as I stay away from physical strain." All Might responded with a troubled sigh.

Machibuse averted his eyes off the weakened hero for a moment before speaking. Just seeing him crippled like that troubled Machibuse immensely, given that he was partially to blame for how things turned out.

"All Might-sensei… I apologize for how much my rescue costed you. You have my gratitude for going to such lengths for me." he spoke, bowing sharply in respect for the now retired hero.

Both his teachers just watched him for a moment in surprise.

"What happened in Kamino was something fate had already decided on... Please don't blame yourself for it, young Machibuse." All Might responded, tenderly ruffing the teen's light hair with his free hand.

"If you want to repay me then continue doing your best. We are going to need everyone working their hardest to keep evil at bay, so you are going to need to fill in for me from now on." he added with a smile.

Those words got a massive weight of Hakuba's chest.

"It is a big responsibility." Machibuse allowed himself a small chuckle.

"It is. But you won't carry that burden alone." All Might responded, giving a hopeful glance towards the remainder of Class 1-A.

An instant of peace amidst the chaos that was Gym Gamma at that moment.

"Anyways… what troubles you?" All Might asked, now steering the conversation back towards the training.

"I am not exactly sure how to proceed about creating an ultimate move. The very concept goes against my… well, everything." Machibuse explained the issue.

"That and he is stubborn enough to keep holding himself back. It will be very difficult for you to make any progress if you refuse to stray from your comfort zone." Ectoplasm commented.

Machibuse just shot his teacher a confused look.

"Your fight against Midnight during the final exams showed something new to all of us. If you refused come with an answer on your own then all I needed to do is to keep pushing you against the wall." Ectoplasm explained his plan.

"I have seen the footage of that battle. Even if for a brief amount of time, you overpowered a seasoned pro hero with that technique… to be completely honest, when I was told that you were having difficulties today I was expecting to be something about employing that." All Might admitted, clearly now rethinking what advise to give his student.

"We don't even need to go that far… having a second gear to your fighting can be an ultimate move by itself. It's just a matter of making sure you can employ it reliably." Ectoplasm suggested, hopefully giving some clarity to his struggling student.

Machibuse's expression however became far more concerned than anything.

"That technique is as far from reliable as possible… at least when I use it." he spoke, eyes now focusing on the ground.

Both teachers were left in confused silence, the question plastered all over their faces.

"That technique is the true form of what my mother passed down to me since I was six… what you saw when I faced Midnight-sensei was something my grandfather created and my mother spent her life perfecting, an amalgamation of Kyokushin Karate, Drunken Fist Kung Fu, Krav Maga and Brazilian Capoeira. The way I fight normally is just a mockery of the real thing. " _Hankegi no Kawa_ _"_ , the Striking River." Machibuse responded, now visibly tense.

"So why you don't use it, young Machibuse?" All Might asked, now with a mix of concern and curiosity in his voice.

"It is an assassination technique."

For an instant those words made the cries, shouts and blasts that filled the gym feel unbearably distant.

"Everything about what my family has developed over these two generations is tailored towards creating and exploiting breaches for lethal strikes. The unorthodox flow of movement, how the environment is employed, the sudden changes in attack pattern, how attacks and feints overlay… everything is geared towards being as efficient as possible when it comes down to taking a life." Machibuse explained in a heavy tone.

""To be able to slip past a target's defenses even for an instant is plenty of time for someone with in-built lethal weapons." That was the thought process that led my grandfather to develop such a thing." he added, now eyeing the Chelicerae springing from one of his palms.

"You don't need to use it to take lives." Ectoplasm offered.

"But I have used it to do so before. It takes me back to the Murakumo… and I don't know if I can make use of it without completely flipping the switch. When I fought Midnight-sensei I had planned on knocking myself out as quickly as possible to keep things from escalating… but since I joined the Hero Course it happened twice already that I lost control; the first time was when I battled Kirishima-san at the Sports Festival, but luckily he is quite literally the hardest one to kill in here. The second time was recent, during the attack on the summer camp… Kendo-san, Kodai-san and Tetsutetsu-san saw the lengths I can go to when I get over the edge." Machibuse admitted after a long breath.

That was another mental barrier on its own.

"All For One told me that my capabilities were better suited to Shigaraki's side… It is hard to deny that premise when things are the way they are." Machibuse concluded, his tone now saddened beyond anything.

"Do not believe a word you heard from him. Not his words or the words of any other member of the League." All Might stated firmly.

Inside of his head Machibuse replayed his time as a hostage, eyes lost in thought.

Then it finally came.

Clarity.

"Shigaraki Tomura made a valid point however…"

-.

 **August 1st, U.A. Highschool Main Building, In Transit Towards the Development Studio, 1715.**

"So in the end you found a way out, Machibuse-kun?" Iida's voice filled the otherwise silent corridor he, Machibuse and Uraraka traversed at the moment.

"More of a workaround rather than an actual solution I am afraid, but the teachers are satisfied for the moment. What about the two of you?" Machibuse responded, a tired sigh escaping from under his mask before he posed his own question.

"Mine is coming along… but it feels really strange to be off the ground for so long, guess my body still needs to get used to it." Uraraka responded mildly embarrassed about the three or four times she had to dash towards the latrine mid-training.

"I see! You are focusing on making your own body float?" Iida concluded surprised, last time he actively saw Uraraka using her Quirk on herself was during their battle on All Might's first class, and he remembered well how utterly incapable she became shortly after.

"Yeah! If I add more mobility, then I can use the martial arts I learned from Gunhead even more!" Uraraka responded with enthusiasm as she flexed her arm.

"What about you, Iida-kun?" she added.

"I want to reduce the demerits of my Recipro. So I plan on asking the development studio to improve my radiator." Iida responded, causing Machibuse to have a somewhat blurry flashback of Todoroki freezing Iida's legs back in Hosu.

"Machibuse-kun, has she responded you yet?" Uraraka changed the topic of the conversation after a brief silence.

A shiver ran down Iida's spine. The "she" they were talking about was not Yaoyorozu.

"Not yet, but knowing Hatsume-san it means that for her to not respond she is either sleeping or working… I have found her sleeping inside the Development Studio a couple of times already, so it is a good idea for me to check there." Machibuse responded as he fished his cellphone out of his padded pocket.

Machibuse had met the duo about halfway towards their destination as he was trying to contact his partner.

"Oh! It's Deku-kun! I was just wondering where you were!" Uraraka called out before running towards her friend, causing Watchman Iida to raise his voice over her improper hallway behavior.

"Deku-kun! Have you come for costume improvements too?" she blissfully ignored the class president as she approached Midoriya.

Such a sweet little scene those two created.

Then the door to the Development Studio exploded.

" _Ah, there she is…"_ Machibuse just quirked an eyebrow as both Iida and Uraraka panicked.

"Oww…"

"You know, you really shouldn't just put everything you think of together!"

Two voices came through the smoke, and soon enough the smoke cleared enough for the trio to see Power Loader standing by the door. Hatsume was still somewhere in that cloud and Midoriya was nowhere to be seen.

""Failure is the mother of invention," Power Loader-sensei, and this is not me saying it, it's Thomas Edison. Even if what I made doesn't work the way I planned, that doesn't mean it was a waste of time!" Hatsume happily excused the accident.

"This isn't the time for that! Will you listen to me for once, Hatsume!?" Power Loader chided as the smoke cleared enough for Hatsume's bright pink hair to be seen.

And that wasn't the only thing in their eyes now.

"Oh? When did you get here?" Hatsume asked as she realized she had fallen on top of someone, completely at ease about that situation.

Uraraka completely froze at the sight of Hatsume laying on top of the still dazed Midoriya… with her "babies" very much pressed against his chest. He was greeted by the view of Hatsume's rather nice cleavage and given how badly Midoriya dealt with the fairer sex it wasn't surprising to see that he wasn't, as the saying goes, "taking it like a champ". Not that Machibuse could blame him much given that Hatsume was one of the very few girls in the first year that gave Momo some real competition in that area.

Truth be told Hakuba had given his "partner" a lot of consideration over the first week of school, before things with Momo scaled up the way they did.

Uraraka's reaction was very much interesting however. A little too concerned, one could say.

After a painfully long instant for both Midoriya and Uraraka, Hatsume was back on her feet and already halfway through the door after latching onto Machibuse's arm to drag him inside.

"It's been a while, huh? Hero course students, um… I've forgotten all your names." Hatsume admitted as she tried to greet the trio.

"I'm M-Midoriya I-Izu-Izuku..." a deeply red-faced Midoriya tried to speak, leaving Uraraka all the more worried.

"I'm Iida Tenya! The one you used as an advertising tower during the sports festival!" Iida bellowed, frantically waving his arm in a mix of anger and surprise.

"Ah you! Well, I'm busy working on my babies, so…" Hatsume spoke, watching Iida's movements with clear amusement for an instant before doing a full one-eighty on her heel to get back into the Studio, swinging Machibuse around with enough speed to make him tumble a little in the process.

"Um, wait, I wanted to ask Power Loader-sensei about improving my costume…" Midoriya almost pleaded as he finally regained his composure.

" _Ah, shit…"_ Machibuse knew what was coming.

He braced for impact, Hatsume very likely had forgotten she was holding his arm and she had a ridiculously strong grip for someone her size.

"Improving your costume!? Sounds interesting!" Hatsume's head snapped back almost instantly and within a blink of an eye she dashed dangerously close to Midoriya, pretty much shoving Machibuse's face into Iida's armor.

"Hatsume…" Power Loader's voice came from behind, apparently the overly excited engineer had gotten on his nerves today.

"It's fine for you to come and go from the studio now that the dorm system is in place… but continue to go wild in here and I will have to vanquish that privilege of yours. And if you get a red card like that you can kiss that special permit goodbye." the teacher warned, leaving Hatsume with a blank stare in her face as he played the strongest card in his hand.

Now it was Machibuse who pushed her into the studio.

"Got a lot of work for you today, Hatsume-san. Will treat you to dinner later if you want it." he offered, doing his best to get his partner back into the game.

"Eraserhead told me you were coming. You are here about changing your costumes as you develop your ultimate moves, right?" Power Loader asked as he gestured for the three students that remained outside to follow him into the studio.

It was an explanation Machibuse had heard once or twice before, about how Power Loader had licensing for both hero work and support work and how the costume updates were to be handled either by him or by specialized support companies. Hatsume was having her fun, reading the documents of what seemed to be Uraraka's costume, which in turn led Machibuse to take a peak over Hatsume's shoulder out of curiosity. He had learned sometime during the first semester that different companies dealt with different designs, and unsurprisingly Uraraka's manufacturer was different from his. From what he was told, since his costume was more of an urban style it ended up in the hands of the same manufacturer of both Kaminari's and Jiro's.

"Shall we begin, Hatsume-san?" Machibuse asked, causing his partner to turn quickly to face him after the small jumpscare.

"Just give me a second with them partner. I got some of my babies in here, who knows if I have a solution for their problems at hand." Hatsume responded, now directing her attention to the trio that, for no apparent reason, decided to stay closer to Power Loader than to her.

Machibuse just gave a short nod. It was a logical proposition and he wasn't in much of a hurry.

"You don't need to go through any paperwork, Machibuse-san?" Midoriya asked, his curiosity taking the best of him and preventing him from noticing how inherently dangerous Hatsume's proposition was.

"Hatsume actually is the one responsible for most of the bureaucracy regarding his gear. Those two actually have a signed deal since the Sports Festival, before you all went for that week at a hero agency. Normally that's the kind of thing that happens only after a year or two in here, but your friend over there does cut close to the line between brave and crazy… He has given Hatsume full permission to withdraw his costume from your class and to make any minor tweaks. I half expected him to scrap the deal after she added more gear to his costume without even noticing him on the first opportunity she got, but they apparently have gone through that process without a hitch." Power Loader explained the situation.

"She did what!?" the three asked in unison.

"The caltrops are her work, only found about them once I unpacked at Edgeshot's agency and found out a napkin with the instructions. I actually still keep that note she left inside my case, it is a fun memory." Machibuse responded, completely unfazed by the outrage.

"You are still paying for dinner even if you start flattering me." Hatsume retorted, bumping the back of her fist against his chest.

"But that freedom you give her isn't… a risk?" Iida asked, still mildly worried.

"There is no point for me to give him babies he wouldn't show off. I get no exposition from that… wanted to get him some rocket boots, but he would probably just say that they are "too loud", or "hard to aim from" or something like that… Turns out that my partner is a little boring from time to time, but a girl can't have everything." Hatsume shrugged.

"Should I apologize for being efficient?" Machibuse asked rhetorically.

"I will let you pay for the dessert as well if that makes you feel any better." Hatsume responded with a sly grin, causing Machibuse to roll his eyes.

"By the way, you have shown those to Edgeshot, right?" she asked, immediately changing the conversation away from the dinner situation while she was on top.

"Affirmative. Have used them against Edgeshot himself actually with a great deal of success… used them against these two as well. I can give you the details later, suppose we are keeping everyone from doing what they need to do now." Machibuse offered, alluring to the mock battle he and Yaoyorozu had against Iida and Midoriya.

"Oh yeah! Come on, what do you guys need!?" Hatsume now pushed everyone to proceed.

"Um, I was thinking about how I could lessen the strain on the ligaments of my arms… Is something like that possible?" Midoriya explained what he needed.

"Midoriya, you, um… fight with your fists and fingers, right? If that's the case the it'd be possible to do it pretty fast with just some tinkering here and there." Power Loader informed as he ran up Midoriya's information on the computer.

"Isn't that great, Deku-kun?" Uraraka hyped up the success.

"Yeah!" Midoriya agreed enthusiastically.

Neither of them saw Hatsume approaching.

" _I will just sit down somewhere…"_ Machibuse thought to himself as he sighed and began walking away in the opposite direction.

"Yes, yes… I see." Hatsume muttered as she began running her hands on Midoriya's chest to feel him out.

Poor Midoriya was about to have a heart attack.

"H-Hatsume-san, what are you…?" Uraraka asked, a dreadful expression on her face.

"Well, I'm touching his body! Much more solid than he looks." Hatsume responded, blissfully unaware of the consequences of what she was doing.

"How do you even deal with her?" Iida asked Machibuse in a hurried tone as he watched the scene uncomfortably.

"Suppose I just got used to it somehow. At least she is not asking him to strip. Yet." Machibuse responded, casually picking up his cellphone to pass the time.

"Very well! You can use… this special baby I have been saving! My Power Suit!" Hatsume exclaimed as she quickly dragged Midoriya inside a large metallic construct.

"Um…" It was all Midoriya could muster before Hatsume continued.

"This high-tech baby can read the contractions of your muscles and support your movements! It's baby number forty-nine!" Hatsume explained.

"I'm fine with something supporting just my arms… Wow! It's moving on it's own!" Midoriya responded but was interrupted, surprised by the suit beginning to function.

Unfortunately for him the construct wasn't really stopping once his back had reached it's turning limit.

That looked painful.

"Huh, looks like I made a mistake in it's operational limits program. Sorry!" Hatsume offered, clearly amused by having someone to test her power suit for her.

"Are you all right?" Uraraka asked with concern as she helped Midoriya escape the death trap.

"All I asked for was something to protect my arms and I ended up with almost getting my torso twisted off…" Midoriya mumbled painfully as he tried to get back on his feet.

"That's fine too… maybe I can repurpose it as a capture item." Hatsume ignored the scene and continued to take her mental notes.

Iida took the opportunity to sneak past the engineer.

"Um, I would like to strengthen the cooling device on my legs…" he whispered to Power Loader.

Little did he knew that Hatsume was capable of hearing the words "device", "item", "costume" and "gear" being whispered through a wall of lead.

"If that's the case, then… there is this baby!" she immediately closed the distance, sticking Iida's arms inside a pair of gauntlets before he could even react.

Iida tried to argue with her about how baby number thirty-six wasn't what he needed, but the engines firing up and rocketing him against the ceiling were more than enough to get him to shut up.

Soon enough the boosters turned off and Iida fell back to the ground.

"My Quirk is on my legs, though…" he pointed out weakly, still on all fours, defeated.

"I know. But think with me here: if you need to cool your legs, then why don't you run on your arms for a moment?" Hatsume explained her logic.

It was some logic, yes, but people were not buying it.

"Sorry about that. She is self-centered to a fault." Power Loader apologized for Hatsume's behavior as she turned her back and left to deal with whatever Machibuse had in store for her.

"I know that very well." Iida responded weakly.

"Yeah…" Uraraka agreed.

"But well, if you are all aspiring heroes, then you should treasure your relationship with her. She is the one you will be calling after you all become pros… take a look at that" Power Loader spoke, gesturing for the trio to look towards a pile of dozens of different items stacked against one of the corners of the studio.

"Those are all support items Hatsume has created since starting school. Even when school is not in season she is here tinkering with something. I have seen many good students come and go, but Hatsume is very special.

"She made all of this in so little time?" Midoriya asked baffled.

"Einstein said that "common sense is a collection of prejudices we acquire by the age of eighteen". Hatsume is unafraid of failure, constantly thinking of new ideas and testing them out. Those who are innovators are not bound by existing ideas… your friend over there noticed that when they first met. I'm honestly grateful that he steers her to improve further." Power Loader concluded, now eyeing Hatsume and Machibuse discussing as she hastily began plotting something on a sheet of blue paper.

That visit to the Development Studio would prove to be immensely fruitful, for both Midoriya and Machibuse.

-.

 **August 5th, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, Gym Gamma, 1055.**

"How are things progressing, Aisawa-kun?" All Might once more had come to take a peak at his students ultimate moves.

"You are here again? We are getting there." Aisawa responded, motioning towards Tokoyami, who was reading up a demonstration of his new ultimate move.

"There are those who finally solidified their styles, and those who are already trying to come up with multiple moves." the teacher added.

"What about young Machibuse?" All Might added, now turning to watch Bakugo.

"I have to say it was an unexpected turn of events, but it was a logical decision. He is with Recovery Girl now and will come back to this at a later date."

-.

 **Four Days Ago, August 1st, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, Gym Gamma, 1035.**

" _Shigaraki Tomura made a valid point however…"_

" _W-What do you mean, young Machibuse!?" All Might was taken aback by that statement._

" _I was captured because Shigaraki wanted to enlist me into the League. Said that I "could play both Assassin and Healer" and the League was lacking someone to heal their wounds. That also applies to the heroes' side; there are plenty of us who can fight off evil, but the number of heroes that can rescue those who already have been injured is far smaller." Machibuse explained what he meant._

" _A combat medic." Ectoplasm concluded._

" _Affirmative. I visited the former Ingenium at the hospital after the Sports Festival, there it had crossed my mind that I was miles behind what my father could've accomplished. Then it happened again at the training camp when I had to settle for a "good enough" solution for those endangered by the gas attack. What I know is too limited." Machibuse responded, now justifying his reasoning._

 _He took a deep breath._

" _This is hardly something one would call an "ultimate move" but developing that skill would make me an asset in any scenario… and I suppose that helping others is what I need to help myself and prepare to take the steps I need to push further."_

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Don't worry about the ultimate move thing, things will come when the time is right… suppose that now it feels more natural for Hakuba to try and build himself up to face that mental barrier of his. That and the fact that I really have always envisioned him as more of a support character for when Deku indeed becomes the number one hero. MHA is still Deku's story for me even if in here Hakuba is the protagonist.**_

 _ **Fun tidbit of information: The part where is told that Hakuba considered Hatsume as a possible pair is actually something that happened while I was first drafting this story all the way back in January. She is easily one of my favorite characters in the series even with so little screen time, but it didn't feel like what the story needed to progress how I wanted.**_


	41. Support II

**August 5th, U.A. Highschool Infirmary, 1130.**

Recovery Girl had to deal with training students from time to time, healing Quirks like hers were rare but they did exist within U.A.'s student body. She would also teach the students of the Hero Course on how to correctly perform first aid procedures and how to properly move injured civilians during advanced rescue training classes.

But this had surely been an unexpected turn of events. Recovery Girl hadn't seen this happening so soon.

"Male… A little too much Sodium, but otherwise the basic metabolic panel is within the expected parameters… Got sick recently… Heavy drinker." Machibuse gave the diagnosis, now reaching for a glass of water to wash down the taste in his mouth.

"You are getting the hang of it, sweetie." the nurse nodded her approval. Recovery Girl knew since she first read the Machibuse name on the list of recommended students this year that that she was to expect great things to happen in that infirmary.

"How come you knew I could do this with my Quirk, ma'am? I never tried it before." Machibuse asked with great curiosity before taking another sip.

The first, and easily most gruesome part of his medical training was on how to be efficient with diagnosing patients, and to his surprise Recovery Girl had come with a very… singular method of employing Machibuse's capabilities: since he was capable of reliably identifying the chemical makeup of basically anything that got into his system then he effectively was a living CBC machine.

He was drinking blood samples to read out the fine details of a patient's health. It wasn't like he could just taste the minor differences, but the synthetization capabilities of his Chelicerae allowed him to somewhat feel every different chemical compound he took in. Human blood was a massive collection of different compounds, but it was easy for him to pick up on breaks weaved into the complex pattern by things such as infections or drugs.

Not exactly a trick he would pull off at every turn, especially given how most of the victims he expected to treat were likely to be from things such as disasters or villain attacks, but if the need ever came up then he had hell of a way of getting a precise diagnostic. That and the fact that he was hero chugging on a cup of human blood.

An unexpected Hero Killer parallel, actually.

"Your father became famous within the medic community for doing this, people used to say that he was as precise as a state of art CBC machine and ten times as fast to get the results. I was mostly just curious to see if you could do the same... Now that we know you can, it's just a matter of getting you used to picking up the problems and learning causes and effects." Recovery Girl explained as placed another sampling cup in front of the teen and waited.

"My father? You met him?" Machibuse quirked an eyebrow.

"Kind of… Medical congresses and such, spoke with him just once or twice. I do have a signed copy of a book he wrote some ten years ago, however. The world seems really small sometimes." Recovery Girl chuckled.

"Huh…" Machibuse stared at the deep red liquid for a moment. He knew his father had been barred from climbing up the ranks inside the medical corps because of how Hakame had a finger in pretty much everything within the military and how sour she had the secret marriage of her son. It had never crossed Hakuba's mind that his father was such a big shot in his field however. He couldn't help but feel proud.

Then he drank down the sample in a single gulp. His stoic face immediately showed the response Recovery Girl was expecting.

"Female, late teens, but something is very wrong… there is something in this sample, a lot of it, but I don't know what it is." he told with slight concern.

"Trigger… This one came into one of the hospitals I work on, she is currently in induced coma after overdosing." the nurse responded with a saddened sigh.

There was a brief moment of silence. It was clear that, whoever that girl was, she was not going to make it.

Not even heroes could save everyone.

"Anyways… we can't just get you ready to see what the problem is, you need to be able to deal with the problem. I've already spoken with Eraserhead, so go get something to eat and when you get back here we are going for something more practical. Your seniors have already gone back to their internships, and some of them have already gotten into trouble and have appointments with me. Bruises, cuts, one or two broken bones… nothing out of the ordinary but the days where I have no work to do are far rarer than I wanted them to be, should be plenty for you to start practicing." Recovery Girl informed as she got up to open the door.

Machibuse allowed a chuckle to break through his façade.

"I am familiar with Midoriya-san, so I suppose there is little I should be scared off."

-.

 **August 17th, U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 0820.**

The life at the dorms had found it's rhythm. Breakfast had become Asui's responsibility for the most part, giving Machibuse a good window of time for his morning routine. He had become responsible for diner and both of them had plenty of help from their classmates, who took turns to ease the burden.

Machibuse had arrived from his morning run just a few minutes ago and had been welcomed by the good smell of Asui's cooking. Now it was just a matter of enjoying his Sunday for the time being, he had some appointments for today, including a few hours at the infirmary to get his practice with Recovery Girl.

But that was later, so for now it was time to sit down with his friends and enjoy his morning at his leisure.

"So, Machibuse… we call you "Captain" or "Doctor" now?" Sero asked as he chewed on his food.

"I hardly qualify as a "doctor", Sero-san. It is just advanced first aid and EMR training." Machibuse responded as he finished typing something on his cellphone before he sat down and began eating.

"And neither as a "captain" by those standards." Shoji pointed out.

"Suppose you are correct. Guess that as long as you guys are not calling me "Casanova" I can work with anything. Not looking forward to stirring that beehive a second time." Machibuse sighed in defeat.

Yaoyorozu just shot him a stern look from her seat over at the next table, an implied warning telling him that he was indeed correct about his "better not" mentality. Machibuse just continued with his breakfast as if nothing bothered him.

Why things had to be so complicated?

"Regardless, it is a very noble decision, Machibuse-kun. If anything, what happened at the summer camp proved that you are the most capable of us to be taking on such a role." Iida offered as he got up to take his turn at the dishes. Things between him and Machibuse were still a little shaky, given everything that had happened since Machibuse escaped into the forest back during the attack at the summer camp, but they were steadily making progress to get back on track.

"Yeah, you totally saved our bacon back there!" Hagakure called out, unaware how hard it was to take her seriously given the seemingly floating milk mustache she sported.

Jiro could just nod, trying her hardest to not spill whatever she was drinking as she looked at Hagakure.

"At least calling you doctor might get her into one of those sexy nurse outfits." Mineta unfortunately gave his opinion on the matter, nodding towards Yaoyorozu.

A dead silence filled the dining hall.

Not five seconds later Mineta fell with his face into his bowl of cereal.

"Enough for a mummy?" Sero offered as he watched Machibuse picking up the small creep he had just knocked out.

"Enough for a mummy." Machibuse accepted.

Soon he left the dining hall with the wrapped up Mineta under his arm, mumbling something about how it was too early for this kind of shit as he began taking the stairs to the second floor. Normally he would've left the pervert somewhere isolated, sticking him inside a pipe in Ground Gamma seemed like an amazing prospect, but Aisawa had begun catching onto his method. Machibuse would take a more conservative approach this time.

The remainder of Class 1-A reached an unspoken agreement to never again call Machibuse a doctor and soon resumed their meal.

Just as Yaoyorozu got up to hand Iida her bowl there was a knock on the door, followed by a ring on the doorbell a few seconds later.

"Aisawa-sensei said he would come today?" Jiro asked, eyeing the door curiously.

"Not as far as I'm aware." Iida responded.

"And besides, sensei would have made his way inside instead of waiting for someone to get the door open." Yaoyorozu added, now making her way to the entry hall.

Soon she reached the door.

"Oh, Shinso-san… can I help you?" Yaoyorozu couldn't hide her surprise as she opened the door to find Hakuba's purple haired friend standing there, somewhat nervously tapping his feet.

"Um… Yaoyorozu, right? I need to have a word with your boyfriend, is he around? Sent him a message not too long ago." Shinso asked with a smidge of awkwardness in his otherwise straightforward tone, if anything he was glad that he at least knew the name of the girl he was talking to. He knew that if he succeeded on his endeavor to join the Hero Course he would need to deal with some people who came to resent his actions during the Sports Festival, but that was a bridge he would cross later.

"Sure, he just had a… minor issue to dispose of. Shouldn't take long." Yaoyorozu responded, taking a look back towards the dining hall to see if Hakuba had returned.

"How is he? We haven't talked much since that mess that he got dragged into." Shinso asked, figuring that some small talk would be appropriate as he waited.

Yaoyorozu took a second before responding.

"A lot happened but… he is back on his feet." she spoke, eyes shifting to the side for a moment.

"You two are not together anymore. Sorry for earlier, didn't mean to open old wounds…" Shinso offered, realizing what she implied.

"No no, it's nothing…" Yaoyorozu gave a weak smile before taking another look inside, just in time to see her _boyfriend_ reaching for the chair he was sitting on prior to the whole Mineta situation. She couldn't deny that her clouded relationship status troubled her. She and Hakuba had never actually made it official, so he technically wasn't her ex. But at the same time it was a technicality, they were acting as exes… at least most of the time, there was still that weird sensation of belonging and they were still weirdly close.

That entire situation only made less sense the more thought she put into it.

To make it even worse, she was sure that he intended on asking her about making it official during the picnic they had planned to go on after the summer camp.

From heaven to hell in a single mistake.

"Hakuba! Come here, it's for you!" Yaoyorozu called out, prompting the other half of her mess of a relationship to push his chair back against the table and come over with his bowl in hand.

"Sorry for the delay, Major. Had an occurrence to deal with." Machibuse greeted, quickly finishing his breakfast after speaking.

"What did you do to Mineta?" Yaoyorozu asked, mildly worried as it had taken him quite a while to come back from whatever he was doing.

"Just left him sleeping on the floor of his room. Took me a while because I had to stop by my room to get my shoes. I may be immune to toxins but I know better than to step barefooted inside that… den." Machibuse informed, visibly disturbed.

"Is it that bad?" Yaoyorozu quirked an eyebrow.

"I strongly recommend that no one else attempts to venture past that door. At least not without being accompanied by either a priest or a cop… preferably by both." Machibuse shook his head.

"Should I be weary of this "Mineta" you speak of?" Shinso asked, not exactly sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"Negative, he wouldn't be interested in y… Scratch that, you can control people. He will see you as the ultimate asset." Machibuse responded, correcting himself mid-sentence as realization washed upon him.

Yaoyorozu's eyes went wide at the mere mention of that dreadful prospect.

She didn't know much about Shinso, he seemed to be a good enough guy, if a little too distant… but she was very thankful that Hakuba had gotten to him before Mineta ever had the chance.

-.

 **August 17th, U.A. Highschool Ground Beta, 1000.**

That one had been the quickest so far. Luckily the wall Shinso had been sent through was just a drywall panel.

"That makes eleven." Machibuse stated as he offered a hand to the dust-covered Shinso.

"I can count past ten, thank you…" Shinso grunted painfully as he took the hand and was pulled to his feet.

"No need to get grumpy, Major. You are making good progress." Machibuse responded, motioning for them to take a break for the moment. Shinso was in much better shape than back in May, but they have been sparing for the better part of an hour and a half and the transfer hopeful was starting to tire out.

Eraserhead had given the student under his tutelage permission to use a section of Ground Beta to train. A mock of a main business street and two of the buildings Class 1-A had used for their two vs two battle training. Currently both Machibuse and Shinso were sitting at a bus stop just in front of the building where the former played hero all the way back during his second day of school.

"I sure don't feel like it sometimes, you have been tossing me around without even trying." Shinso admitted as he screwed the cap of his water bottle back on.

"I have been through almost ten years of training while you barely got three months under your belt, it's only natural." Machibuse offered dismissively, using one of the Chelicerae in his right hand to scrap something that had gotten stuck to his P.E. uniform.

"Talk about a head start…" Shinso sighed.

"But I am not talking about just fighting. You clearly have improved in that regard, but what I am getting at is that you are getting better at a lot more: Endurance, mobility, awareness… three months ago you couldn't even react when I tried to trip your feet, now you are even avoiding it with some consistency. And even when you fail to avoid you still manage to recover from the blow and keep on fighting." Machibuse pointed out.

"Since when you do motivational speeches?" Shinso looked away, clearly uncomfortable about being praised like that.

Machibuse gave a short laugh at that reaction, causing Shinso to be even more rattled.

"I apologize… but it is true. Back at the Sports Festival you were just a lowlife with an overpowered Quirk. You are still a lowlife and your Brainwashing is still immensely powerful, but now you got a lot more going for you. All you need is to keep pushing forward to make it up for the late start you got." Machibuse concluded, now getting back to his feet. They still had time for three or four rounds.

"Thanks, I guess… Eraserhead doesn't really gives me that kind of talk as you can imagine." Shinso took a deep breath and followed suit.

"Aisawa-sensei praised me once, immediately followed it with a warning." Machibuse told, reminiscing about his first week of school.

"Sounds like the kind of thing he would do." Shinso rolled his eyes.

Soon enough the duo reached a suitable spot for their remaining time at Ground Beta, instead of going inside any of the buildings they choose to fight around one of the crossroads within the space they were allowed to use. Some six civilian cars and a bus arranged as if they had been involved in a collision provided enough cover over the pavement, as did the signs, rails and greenery for the sidewalks. A pedestrian overpass running above the collision scene offered some possibilities for three-dimensional movement.

"This should be adequate." Machibuse spoke as he studied the location.

"What a thrilling change of pace, now I get the chance to be kicked into a bus." Shinso's voice was just plain irony as he readied his Capturing Weapon.

Machibuse just ignored the comment as he made his way to the other side of the crossroad so they could start the match.

"By the way, gotta ask you something before we get started…" Shinso spoke, lowering his weapon for an instant and prompting his sparing partner to turn around with a curious look.

Yet Machibuse remained silent.

"I'm not going to brainwash you." the purple-haired student groaned annoyedly.

"It had been bothering me since I got to your dorms earlier today. What happened between you and that Yaoyorozu girl? It's not really my business, but I could cut the tension between you two with a knife back then."

"Then, Major, how about this: I will tell you if you manage to get a hit in before our time in here runs out."

-.

 **August 17th, U.A. Highschool Ground Beta, 1045.**

It was the fourth and likely last round at the crossroads. Shinso had nine-hundred seconds to win the small bet they made. Not that he really cared all that much about the at this point, he just wanted to get a damn hit in. He had lost fourteen sparing matches today and wasn't looking forward to losing the fifteenth. Hell, he just asked about Yaoyorozu because Machibuse was his friend and now the asshole was starting to up his game.

Shinso almost scored a solid hit on their previous fight, and now the kid gloves were coming off a little.

Still, he couldn't help but feel some pride in the fact that he got the Captain to stop toying around with him.

"You know I just want to help you, right?" Shinso teased as he jumped backwards, he knew that his opponent was not going to fall for his Brainwashing but trying wasn't bad.

Machibuse just kept his focused expression as he rushed after his opponent, pressing the advantage. He was slowly allowing himself to push Shinso harder over morning but had to reel himself back a little after the eleventh match. Even with if Shinso had progressed a lot he was still a greenhorn in combat, so Machibuse was allowing himself to fight with about the same amount of leeway he would have against people like Tokoyami or Kaminari in a fight without Quirks.

" _Kamihara-san would be having a field day here with that circle exercise of his…"_ Machibuse thought as he weaved under the Capturing Weapon.

Following the movement Machibuse leaped forward, rolling on his shoulder to gain momentum as he landed in a crouch near Shinso's position.

Shinso this time reacted quickly enough, pulling his scarf with both hands to intercept the rising palm aimed at his chin.

With a quick twist he attempted to trap Machibuse's arm in the cloth, but the attacker managed to slip away from the knot in time.

Shinso attacked with the Capturing Weapon, his only advantage in this fight was range so he needed to keep Machibuse out… and that was just a situational advantage, Shinso was well aware about Machibuse could do with a bow and arrow.

Keeping him out was far easier said than done however.

Machibuse dodged out of the path of the attack and once more took to closing the gap.

Shinso needed to play smart.

" _People like you and I need to learn how to deal with things alone. Otherwise we end up dead."_ Eraserhead's words echoed in his mind as he tossed another strand of the Capturing Weapon towards the railing of the overpass. He jumped and pulled as hard as he could.

Now standing on top of the bus Shinso had gained some time to think.

Machibuse quickly jumped back, rolling under the greenery on the sidewalk and vanishing from view. He wasn't about to remain within sight of his opponent while incapable of counteracting.

Perhaps that was why Eraserhead had enlisted Machibuse's help for the training endeavor. He was a prime example of something that could take his life in a million different ways if he wanted to. Shinso's capacity to deal with a threat like that was likely one of the ways Eraserhead had chosen to measure how worth his protegee was.

Absolute silence. Machibuse had kicked it up a notch.

"No wonder that Shigaraki guy wanted you on his side, you can pull some real assassin shit when you want to." Shinso taunted again.

The silence continued.

Shinso needed to prepare.

Something moved on his peripheral vision, coming down from the overpass.

Shinso aimed down towards the opposite direction, towards the collision scene, being seen like that was a rookie mistake that Machibuse would not make even if he was trying to set the bar low. It had to be some kind of diversion.

And even if it wasn't, he had an idea to turn his exposed back into an opportunity for a counterattack.

Machibuse actually came from the side, and very quickly. His lack of a jacket giving away what he had used as a bait just now.

But Shinso still had his way out.

He wrapped the cloth around one of the traffic cones on the road and spun it around, forcing Machibuse to halt his attack for an instant and give Shinso enough time to rappel away once more, now using one of the street lights to reach the overpass.

He felt heavier however, apparently he had brought the cone with him by accident and by the time he looked back Machibuse had disappeared once more.

Shinso took a deep breath, he was running out of escape routes and time.

He looked to the traffic cone.

It was a stupid idea but it was the best he got.

Shinso cleared his throat as he did his best to move quietly.

Machibuse was just about to pull himself up onto the overpass.

"WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING IN HERE!?" an unknown, gruff and very angry sounding voice came from somewhere down by the sidewalk.

"Eraserhead gave us cleara…" Machibuse responded, assuming that it was Hound Dog coming to check on whatever was happening.

But it was a ruse stupid not even Machibuse could've seen through it.

Now he was just left there dangling from the railing, but otherwise immobile.

"That worked?" Shinso asked himself in disbelief as he dropped the traffic cone he had used to distort his voice, his throat still sore from the impromptu guttural he pulled.

Machibuse was now under the effects of his Brainwashing.

"Never really got to this part of the plan... Just, huh, drop down and… slap your own face or something." Shinso ordered, still trying to quantify exactly how dumb Machibuse had to be to get caught up in that.

Shinso couldn't deny that he was impressed to see how Machibuse still rolled forward to ensure the fall wouldn't injure him even while brainwashed. The "almost ten years of training" were no joke.

Then came that meaty sounding slap.

"So, does that count as a hit?" Shinso asked as he eyed his friend caressing his sore cheek.

"I suppose it does. What do you want to know?" Machibuse responded, a million ideas going through inside his head as he reviewed that fight. He and Shinso now had fought exactly sixty times since Aisawa enlisted his help, and Machibuse's fifty-nine win-streak had finally been broken.

"Ah…. Since I've known you, you always acted like an idiot around her so I'm just curious to know about how it got this bad." Shinso spoke, it had escaped him for a moment that he actually had won that silly bet.

"It is showing, isn't it?" Machibuse sighed in defeat.

He took a moment to plan his next words carefully, even if the secrecy of his actions four years ago had been breached it was still much safer to keep the information down to the least amount of people possible.

"My relationship with Momo became… complex after the Sports Festival. I asked her to allow me some time while I sorted a few things out but I ended up leaving her on halt far longer than she was comfortable with. We had a fight then but eventually got back together and things were going well. During the Kamino Incident she ended up finding out why I made her wait so long, and needless to say she wasn't pleased. She came to me on the following day, admitted that she had overreacted… I suppose that I am still hurt by what she said at Kamino. I do admit that I have serious trust issues." Machibuse explained.

"You were cheating on her or something?" Shinso asked confusedly.

Machibuse blinked twice.

"Negative." he responded, still mildly offended by the casanova stigma.

Shinso decided it was better to drop the issue. He wasn't exactly sure if he was supposed to give some kind of advice or words of encouragement.

"What? Are you waiting for me to tell you what to do?" he asked annoyedly when he noticed Machibuse looking at him.

"Permission to break protocol?" Machibuse asked.

"Sure, go on." Shinso waved his hand carelessly.

"Telling people what to do is kinda of your schtick, Major." Machibuse jabbed.

"How inspired." Shinso rolled his eyes, he had walked right into that one.

Machibuse just laughed as he made his way to were his jacket had landed.

"Hey, you two, your time in here already ended six minutes ago. Beat it so other people can use this place." a stern voice came from over the other side of the crosswalk.

For a moment Machibuse thought that it was just Shinso mimicking Aisawa's voice, but he had been suspicious about being observed for about an hour now.

"Aisawa-sensei." Machibuse bowed as he greeted his teacher.

"Hey Eraser." Shinso also greeted, albeit in a much less strict fashion.

"Shinso, we will be working on your rappelling tomorrow. Machibuse, put more pressure on him next time, bring your gear from now on; if he got through you today then that means you don't need to play nice." Aisawa spoke as he approached.

"Now scram, I need to see what you two broke around the place so I can call the repair crew." the teacher added, clearly tired in advance about the task ahead of him but Machibuse could've sworn that he saw his homeroom teacher with the tiniest of smiles.

"And there goes my only advantage. Fantastic." Shinso wasn't thrilled.

"It is not always that you can rely on keeping your opponent out. Learning how to deal with someone that can outrange you is basic for any hero." Aisawa was having none of that.

"You did find a way to create a new advantage today, Major." Machibuse pointed out, his eyes veering towards the orange piece of plastic that had given Shinso the victory.

"Ah yes, I will go around carrying a traffic cone next time." Shinso responded.

"Sensei, would you consider appropriate for him to train with another support item beyond the Capturing Weapon?" Machibuse turned to Aisawa.

"You know I was being sarcastic, right Captain?"

"But I am not, Major."

-.

 **August 17th, U.A. Highschool Development Studio, 1135.**

Both Machibuse and Shinso now stood in front of the blast door that led inside the Development Studio. Aisawa had stated that since Shinso wasn't on the Hero Course then there would be a lot of paperwork to get him something from a support company, but there was nothing stopping him from asking a student from the Support Course for something, then it was just a matter of getting Power Loader to authorize the project.

That was plenty for who Machibuse had in mind.

"Before we enter I need to ask you something. How comfortable are you with girls?" Machibuse questioned as he prepared to pull the door open.

"What kind of question is that?" Shinso asked back.

"I am about to introduce you to one. Hatsume-san is… very forward." Machibuse responded, the small pause getting Shinso to quirk an eyebrow.

"Should I ask why exactly you are introducing me to her?" Shinso now tilted his head.

"Back in April you said that you were taking all the help you could. And she is easily the best help you can wish for." Machibuse responded neutrally and pulled the handle.

Apparently they had arrived after whatever Hatsume had been tinkering with previously went up in flames.

" _And she is easily the best help you can wish for."_ Machibuse's words echoed inside Shinso's head as he watched the pink-haired girl he vaguely remembered from the Sports Festival dousing an eerie yellow-green flame larger than her with a steady flow from the fire extinguisher in her hands.

She was cackling, absolutely amazed by what was happening.

"Hatsume-san, is everything under control?" Machibuse asked as he calmly entered the studio, seemingly unfazed by the scene.

"Oh, hey! Just who I needed to speak to!" Hatsume turned around, pulling her googles up to her brow. The fire behind her was still raging, yet she completely ignored it somehow.

"Umm…" Shinso cautiously pointed towards the fire only to have the extinguisher shoved against his chest.

"Here, thank you! Now come on partner, I gotta show you that baby we were making!" Hatsume eagerly got that hot potato out of her hands before hooking her arm around Machibuse's elbow and dragging him to the other side of the room.

It took Shinso a solid six seconds to process what just had happened before he hastily began trying to put that fire out.

"Here it is! Baby number seventy-six! Small, light, beautiful, ready to save lives and mostly free of bugs!" Hatsume beamed a large smile as she presented a matted steel container about as large as his cellphone but some three to four centimeters thick, dotted with a pair of buttons beside a small electronic display and what looked like a trapdoor. It was attached to two bottles similar to the ones he carried in his costume to store chemical pills by some wires and tubing.

"Mostly free of bugs." Machibuse repeated after his partner.

"Just some minor stuff, apparently holding it too close to an open flame causes it to freak out and explode. It sends out a nice amount of shrapnel for something so tiny! Should get around solving that as soon as I get the greenlight from you." Hatsume as usual waved off the problem as if the idea of strapping a live grenade to someone was a mere afterthought.

"Is that why we are sitting all the way over here?" Machibuse asked as he turned his attention towards Shinso who, to his merit, was achieving some amount of success as a fireman.

"Well yeah. It's not like I'd let anything bad happen to my precious babies!" Hatsume responded proudly.

Right on cue the sound of what seemed like a thousand poppers echoed from inside the flame, causing Shinso to loudly question why exactly he was the one in charge of dealing with that thing.

"Anyway, this is how it works!" Hatsume called his attention once more, now clicking one of the buttons twice to turn on the device.

"I've tinkered with those bottles, instead of just leaving you to pick the pill manually you can now just say what you need and system will fetch it for you and leave it at the trapdoor... I know that you like that whole cloak and dagger thingumabob, so you can also just navigate the console with these buttons if you don't feel like talking. If you need to change what pills are inside the bottles I got the instructions on your costume case already, or you can just ask me to do it, it's like ten minutes to redo the whole list." Hatsume explained as she showed her partner how to operate the device.

Machibuse just gave her a firm nod, that was sure a handy tool now that he needed to optimize how he dealt with changing between synthesizing chemicals for battle and chemicals for medical purposes. A quick flash of his fight against Chizome went through his mind, having to find, choose and handpick something the size of a pill while in a dark alley while losing blood was something he could've gone without.

"And what about this?" he asked, now pointing towards what looked like a reel, full of some dark wire.

"Specially crafted suture thread. You can just squeeze whatever chemical you want to use on it in here and the line will diffuse it over the wound; should make it easier for anesthetics or antihemorrhagics. I will sew a pocket on the inside of your bullet-proof vest later on, so you have a place to store the needles, bandages, scalpels and that other medic stuff." the engineer responded, now pointing towards a hole about as big as one of the Chelicerae in Machibuse's hands.

"You never fail to impress, partner. Please proceed ahead with installing it once you deal with the... explosion bug." Machibuse concluded with clear admiration in his voice. He would have to ask Recovery Girl to teach him how to perform a suture, but that was hardly an issue.

"Nice! I knew you would like it, good thing I already went ahead with cutting the space for it on your costume." Hatsume smiled, another job well executed.

That last bit got Machibuse by surprise, but he was supposed to have learned how Hatsume operated by this point in their relationship.

"That's really cool and all… but did you two really needed to dump that mess on my head?" Shinso approached, his P.E. uniform mildly singed and his expression very disgruntled.

"Oh, yeah… who's this guy?" Hatsume turned to Machibuse after staring at Shinso for a moment, not even acknowledging the fact that the fire had been put out.

"Shinso Hitoshi, your newest customer." Machibuse introduced.

"Wait, I haven't…" Shinso began speaking, but he was cut short by surprise as Hatsume immediately closed too much of the distance.

"So you are looking to get your hands on one of my babies? Come on, tell me what you need so we can get down to business!" Hatsume beamed with excitement as she now studied Shinso from head to toe.

"I need something that allows me to change my voice on the fly." Shinso just did his best at rolling with it.

"Voice?" Hatsume asked, now directing her attention to her client's upper torso as she lowered he googles to her eyes.

"Yeah, the effects of my Quirk come from my voice. But it doesn't work if I use some kind of spea…" Shinso begun explaining but was very rudely interrupted to say the least.

"Huh, don't see nothing different in here, so I'd say your is an emission-type Quirk… should make things simpler." Hatsume spoke to herself as she held Shinso's mouth open with her thumb and looked down into his throat, a small light now coming from her eyewear.

Shinso was just left stunned, his back stiff as a steel beam as his eyes frantically looked around for an explanation and a way out.

"Very well, I will leave him under your care. I still need to get something to eat before going to the infirmary." Machibuse shrugged and got up to leave.

"Before you leave, you people from the Hero Course are going to that provisional license thing, right?" Hatsume asked, finally releasing Shinso from her grasp.

"Affirmative, the exam takes place in the 3rd of September, just as our summer break ends. Why do you ask?" Machibuse responded and followed up with his own question.

"I feel… violated." Shinso muttered in shock.

"You get used to it, Major…" Machibuse offered, he had been there a couple of times.

"You see, I have a ton of ideas backed up for that bow of yours, but Power Loader doesn't let me do what I want because I need a permit from the school to tinker with a weapon like that, and students can only get their hands in those papers by the fourth semester… now, think with me here: if you get your hands on a provisional hero license, and given that you already have a special weapons permit… that backs up my case for a special permit of my own! It's a win-win for us!" Hatsume pumped her fist high into the air.

"All the more reason for me to succeed then." Machibuse nodded in accordance.

"He just needs to stop mauling over his relationship and everything should go smoothly." Shinso added with a snarky expression. A small revenge for the mess he was dragged into since entering that studio.

"What do you mean?" Hatsume turned to Shinso with a concerned expression.

"Haven't you heard? Captain over there has been out of his A game since his break up." Shinso added fuel to the fire. The asshole…

"Listen up, partner!" Hatsume immediately took action, now holding a finger against Machibuse's face.

"You and…" she began.

"Yaoyorozu." Shinso helpfully provided.

"You and Yaoyorozu better get that ship sailing again ASAP! I cannot risk the development of my precious babies because of that! Don't force me to lock you two in here until you sort things out!... THINK ABOUT THE BABIES!"

-.

 **August 30th, U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 2220.**

"We're working so hard every day…" Ashido complained as she tossed her head back.

"It's not called "intensive training" for nothing, huh?" Hagakure joked.

"Even so, there's less than a week left before the provisional license exam." Yaoyorozu pointed out, her voice coming off a little nervous.

"Yaomomo, how's your ultimate move coming?" Hagakure asked, noticing that concern.

"There is something I want to do, but my body is still struggling to keep up with it, so I need to develop my Quirk a little more." Yaoyorozu admitted with after a heavy sigh.

"And what about you, Tsu-chan?" Hagakure then turned her attention to the girl at her side.

"I've perfected a move even more frog-like than before. I am sure you will be surprised, Toru-chan." Asui was quick to respond, she had an idea of what to do since day one.

"And you, Ochaco-chan?" Hagakure continued to the next girl in line.

Uraraka however wasn't paying much attention; eyes lost somewhere in the wall opposite to her.

She was on full auto-pilot.

"Ochaco-chan?" Asui insisted, now trying to poke her friend awake.

The physical contact brought Uraraka back completely flustered as she realized how hard she had been zoning out.

"You seem tired." Asui pointed out.

"Oh, no, I'm not tired at all… I'm just getting started!" Uraraka struggled for a moment.

She went silent for a moment, leaving the other five girls very confused.

"At least that's how it is supposed to be, but… recently my heart's been feeling all stirred up…" Uraraka confessed, blushing deeply.

"It's love!" Ashido immediately shouted. Her systems fully engaged now.

"Wh-what!? Glove!? Shove? Dove!? I don't know what you are talking about!" Uraraka stammered. A lot.

"Is it Midoriya or Iida? You are always with those two!" Ashido pushed hard. Yaoyorozu had not told the other girls exactly why her relationship fell so hard, and that caused all of Ashido's romantic antics to be put on halt. Now Uraraka gave her an excuse to go all out again.

"No! That's not it! No no no no!" Uraraka tried her best, but literally floating away while denying everything was not helping her case.

"Who it is? Which one?" Hagakure joined into the fray.

"Come on, confess and your sentence will be lighter." Jiro also decided to take a shot.

"That's not it, really! I don't know anything about that stuff…" Uraraka kept on the defensive.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Asui was about to say something, but a voice suddenly popping from behind her caused her to freeze for a moment.

"Hakuba-chan, do you really need to sneak on us?" she asked, now turning to see Machibuse standing just a few feet from the girls, with a tray on one of his hands and one of those tacky "Kiss the Cook" aprons over his shirt.

"I apologize. It is never my intention." Machibuse bowed his head lightly.

"Regardless, just finished this one; Recovery Girl's recipe. Any of you interested?" he lowered the tray while still keeping his eyes on the floating Uraraka.

"Oh my, lemon merengue pie?" Yaoyorozu was pleasantly surprised by the offer.

"Sweets have always been the weakest part of my skillset, so I have been putting some effort into improving it." Machibuse commented as the five girls picked up the plates, giving Uraraka a short breather from the barrage of questions.

"Weakest part? Really?" Jiro asked baffled after taking a bite.

A timid shrug was her only answer.

"Does Uraraka-san needs help with anything?" Machibuse asked curiously as he watched Uraraka drifting across the room.

"Ochaco is in love!" Ashido responded excitedly.

"I see. That certainly is an adventure." Machibuse quirked an eyebrow.

"And she doesn't want to tell us who it is!" Hagakure huffed in curiosity.

Machibuse just followed the floating girl for a moment as she came to a stop near one of the windows. He didn't even need to look through the glass to find out who it was.

"Uraraka-san, would you like for me to speak with him for you?" he offered. For better or worse he was still the appointed ambassador according to Kaminari.

Now he had the attention of all the girls.

"You know who it is!? Come on, spill it out!" Ashido almost chocked on her food.

Uraraka's could only flail her arms wildly, her words failing her.

"Very well. Feel free to ask me if you change your mind." Machibuse simply nodded in understanding.

"I can't believe you are doing this with us!" Ashido and Hagakure complained loudly.

"It is better that we don't pry. Besides, we start early tomorrow so it's better we turn in for the night." Yaoyorozu suggested, now getting up to return her now empty plate to the tray.

"Can the two of you stop thwarting the romance around here for once! It's getting on my nerves already… God, now I really want Hatsume to follow through with that threat of locking you guys in a room!" Ashido turned away, angrily stuffing her face with what remained of her slice of pie.

Machibuse and Yaoyorozu just stared blankly at the pink teen for a moment.

"I have taught myself how to pick locks since then. Just in case she does capture us." Machibuse responded, his tone unchanging.

"Somehow I am not surprised… You do put a lot of effort to go around your problems rather than dealing with them." Yaoyorozu took the jab.

There it was again, that awkward proximity they still had with one another, once more destroying the mood.

And it drove Ashido absolutely mad.

"JUST GO BACK TO MAKING OUT ALREDY, FOR FUCKS SAKE!"

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Yep there it is, that good old "ex energy" as one of my friends calls it. I will be completely honest with you guys here, I have no clue if there is a term for their relationship status at this point in time.**_

 _ **Been a while since Shinso's last appearance, and more Hatsume is in high demand as it seems.**_

 _ **We will finally reach the Provisional License Exam on the next update, see you guys then.**_


	42. Kites

_**Aaaand 300 favorites! Honestly, the support you guys show for this story never ceases to amaze me.**_

 _ **Originally this was going to be the beginning of the Provisional License, but I received one of those ridiculously amazing questions and that ended up evolving into a whole chapter.**_

-.

 **August 31th, U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, Courtyard, 0725.**

" _Twenty-eight… twenty-nine… Thirty… Thirty-one…"_

Up and down he went in perfect form, one arm steadily pushing against the grass over and over while the other, which had already gone through the same process, resting at his back.

"Machibuse-kun?" a voice came from the doorway that connected the courtyard to the living room.

"Uraraka-san, good morning. How may I assist you?" Machibuse responded without losing the pace of his push-ups. Looking up from the floor he eyed the brunette fully dressed in her P.E. uniform approaching.

"Umm... you're going out to run, right? Mind if I go along?" Uraraka asked, shifting on her feet a little.

Machibuse quirked an eyebrow and paused his movements for a moment. Uraraka seemed nervous about something.

Then it clicked.

"I will be finished with these in a moment. Suppose you should stretch in the meantime, it is a sixteen-kilometer run after all." Machibuse suggested as he nodded in agreement with Uraraka's request before resuming his push-ups.

"Yes, Captain!" Uraraka responded happily with a mock military salute, relieved that she hadn't been turned down outright but still nervous about what to do next.

 _"Thirdy-six… thirdy-srven… thirdy-eight…"_

Didn't take long for the duo to depart from the dorms and hit the road, their departure being eyed curiously by the few people in the common area.

Took them about a kilometer and a half to finally break the ice.

"You gave some thought about the offer I have made you yesterday, I presume." Machibuse spoke watching Uraraka from the corner of his eye as they ran.

"What do you think I should do?" Uraraka asked nervously.

"I am hard pressed to believe that I am suited to give you advice on that, given my own condition." Machibuse responded frankly, he imagined that Uraraka's decision to accompany him on his morning run had to do with that.

"It's not like that!" Uraraka blurted out.

"Umm, I mean… You and Momo-chan… you two are just so mature with one another. I just don't know if I can be like that." she explained with an insecure tone to her voice.

"Me and Momo? Do you honestly hold our relationship to such a high standard, Uraraka-san? I personally do feel that we have been acting as children as of late." Machibuse couldn't hide his surprise at that statement.

"I remember back in May, during All Might-sensei's class. I got so happy watching that scene, but when I try to picture myself in a situation like that I just… I don't know… my heart feels so tight, I get so nervous." Uraraka admitted.

"You don't feel like you are ready." Machibuse concluded.

"Yeah…" Uraraka nodded in agreement.

There was something else however, Uraraka was as easy to read as an open book.

"You are afraid that with your mind confused like you will end up failing on the provisional license exam. It is weighting on your performance, is it not?" Machibuse pushed for a response.

Uraraka just averted her eyes.

Good thing Machibuse had improved on this kind of talk, earlier this year he would just have ended the conversation there out of discomfort.

He sighed.

"Momo has been doing her best since our break up at Kamino because she knows that I wouldn't be comfortable if she just dropped everything to chase after me. That is why even with everything that happened between us she still tries to do the same things she did when we were together; the witty remarks, the scolding looks, how she still hits me from time to time… Momo promised me that she would not push me, and that goes beyond the romantic side of things. She doesn't want me to worry about her the same way you don't want Midoriya-san to worry about you." Machibuse explained his situation, maybe that would give Uraraka some much needed clarity.

"I guess you are correct when you say she is mature, but I can't say the same about myself. Honestly I feel like I am just a resentful idiot that doesn't know how to accept an apology." he added, saying those words more to himself than to the girl running at his side.

Uraraka had just opened her mouth to respond to that, but another voice interrupted her.

"Hey soldier boy! Morning!"

A familiar blond beacon of excitement shouted as he approached, running in the opposite direction with an arm held out as if expecting a high-five.

"Good morning, senpai… Not falling for that again." Machibuse responded with a deadpan voice, completely ignoring the hand presented to him.

"Bleh! You're no fun, you know!" Togata chided with a laugh as he passed by.

"Who is he?" Uraraka asked, blinking twice in confusion.

"Togata Mirio, one of our upperclassmen. We run together every so often." Machibuse answered.

"He seems fun!" Uraraka chuckled.

"He thinks the same, unfortunately…" Machibuse rolled his eyes in defeat, earning only a short laugh from Uraraka.

They ran in silence for a moment after that.

"You asked me about how I think you should proceed… I frankly believe that you are better off not fighting what you feel. Let that feeling drive you to improve and soon enough you should feel ready to take the next step." Machibuse finally responded the question posed to him a few kilometers ago.

"Good things come for those who wait, Uraraka-san. But not for those who wait too late. Suppose you are better off doing as I say and not as I do."

-.

 **September 1st, U.A. Highschool Ground Gamma, Observation Deck, 1400.**

It was the last day of training before the provisional license exam as the teachers decided to allow the students to have a small break on the day before the event. For that reason all of Class 1-A had been brought to the industrial complex of Ground Gamma for a special training session to top it all off.

"Huh, they even dragged you out here this time." Mineta pointed out as he eyed Machibuse, who for the most part of the last month had missed on afternoon training to practice with Recovery Girl.

"Today we are going to get down to some real combat practice to stress test the moves you have been working on. Even if Machibuse took another route on his training he is still taking the same exam, so he needs to be put through the same tests as everyone else. And besides, thinking on how to build teams with an odd number of students is annoying." Aisawa explained tiredly. He held a box underneath one of his arms and Midnight, who was standing by his side, held some unknown metallic device roughly in the shape of a ball and about as big as a volleyball.

"Oh, a team exercise then?" Yaoyorozu asked from her spot just besides Machibuse. Likely they didn't stop so close to each other on purpose, but Ashido surely squinted at that proximity.

"And a combat exercise on top of that? We fighting for a bomb again?" Sero asked, scanning the battlefield behind the teachers and trying to look for places where they could put that fake bomb thing.

"We are changing things up this time. You still will be paired in teams of two to face of against each other, but the game is very different!" Midnight responded as Aisawa clicked something on the remote to turn the large screen behind the teachers. On it were feeds of five different cameras, each one showing close with an orb similar to the one Midnight had in her possession.

"You will be fighting over the control of these beacons. The team that last touched it by the twenty-minute mark will be considered the winner. You can carry it around with you or try to hide it, it's up to how you guys want your strategies to play out. Just be aware that once beacon activates it will periodically beam up light and make noise, so just dropping it somewhere might not be the best idea." Aisawa explained, now turning off the multiple camera feeds.

"What if I just beat the hell out of the other team?" Bakugo asked, now cracking his knuckles in excitement.

"Should one of the teams be defeated in combat or otherwise unable to continue the match then remaining team wins as long as they have control of the beacon. If one team is taken down but still manages to somehow keep the beacon under their control then they win regardless." Aisawa clarified much to Bakugo's delight.

"Still, you should always strive to keep collateral damage to a minimum, so going straight after the enemy and then tearing up the place apart to locate the beacon is a no no." Midnight added with a teasing wink that plummeted the bomber's fervor.

"The beacons are pretty sturdy, but if one team does manage to destroy it by any means then that team is considered the loser. You also lose immediately if you take the beacon outside a one hundred-meter radius from it's original position; the further you are from the center the shorter the intervals between the signals will be. Now come and pick a tag from the box; the number on it is what will say when it's your turn and their color is what will pair you guys up." Aisawa concluded, prompting the students to form a line.

One by one the teams were forming.

"Five, red." Machibuse called out, holding the tag up to his shoulder as he searched around for his partner.

He had been one of the last few students in line, so the chances his partner had already been decided were high. Momo had a blue tag in her hands and was busy talking with Uraraka, the Lieutenant was also looking for her pair and she also had a red tag, with a three however. Didn't escape Machibuse how Kaminari gave him a playful mocking grin as he threw his arm around the neck of a very passive Todoroki; they had the blue fives.

Then a familiar hand landed on Machibuse's shoulder.

The fifth match was sure going to be something.

"You all settled? Good. Blue One and Red One can go to their respective starting areas." Aisawa spoke, now imputing the commands on the remote in his hand to project the teams into the main screen.

…

 _Blue vs Red_

 _Fight Number 1: Koda Koji & Ojiro Mashirao vs Hagakure Toru & Sero Hanta_

 _Fight Number 2: Bakugo Katsuki & Mineta Minoru vs Iida Tenya & Kirishima Eijiro_

 _Fight Number 3: Ashido Mina & Tokoyami Fumikage vs Jiro Kyoka & Asui Tsuyu_

 _Fight Number 4: Yaoyorozu Momo & Uraraka Ochaco vs Midoriya Izuku & Aoyama Yuga_

 _Fight Number 5: Kaminari Denki & Todoroki Shouto vs Machibuse Hakuba & Shoji Mezo_

…

Soon enough the first battle had begun and immediately both the combatants and the spectators grasped just how technical that exercise was. Area Gamma was by all standards a massive labyrinth, and that made the simple process of locating the beacon much more complex than it sounded at first; the beacon would buzz and shine for about five seconds every sixty seconds it spent dormant, and that gave the teams a very small window of time to actually track their objective. The metallic beacon had proved to be surprisingly hard to spot in the also metallic background.

Koda was still unsurprisingly fast to locate the device however as the pigeons relayed him everything from their literal bird's-eye view. Armed with the knowledge, Ojiro was then immediately sent to retrieve the beacon, making use of his maneuverability to quickly traverse the maze of pipes. This got ugly for the tailed teen however when he noticed that Sero and Hagakure had been waiting for him to lead them to the objective. The two moved faster than Koda given that Sero was capable of carrying Hagakure along and by the time Ojiro began trailing back towards Koda's direction his escape had been cut off by a barrage of tape. Ojiro did put up a good fight as he tried to escape with the beacon while Koda rushed to help, sending wave after wave of various bugs and small animals to provide support, but their eagerness to gain control over the beacon ended up leaving them open and costing them the match. It all fell apart for them when Hagakure managed to sneak behind Koda with a bundle of tape she picked up, which she used to wrap Koda's head and stop him from both seeing and speaking.

Mineta left for his turn at the exercise fuming about how Sero had picked up Hagakure's less than clothed body to carry her around.

Speaking about the devil; the second battle was, as expected by any scenario with Bakugo fighting Kirishima, a full-on slugfest. Not a single of the combatants had a reliable way of tracking the beacon and both teams happened to stumble across the device mid brawl. Mineta surprisingly had been the one to first reach for the beacon, given that he was scurrying around the main fight, laying traps to stop Iida from going full throttle. Things only got better for Bakugo and Mineta when the former managed to blast Kirishima against Iida's chest, and both got stuck together by a stray ball of Pop-off that had hit Kirishima in the back a while before. Then everything flipped around when Kirishima, in the direst of the scenarios, came up with a plan that left even the likes of Midoriya, Yaoyorozu and Machibuse surprised. It was the manliest possible plan, the single most Kirishima thing to do: A fucking battering ram.

The red-head straight up curled into a ball and hardened to his limit as he shouted for Iida to just blitz forward like a madman, knocking Mineta out cold and burying a very angry Bakugo under a pile of rubble and sticky balls.

The third round was the fastest one of the set. Three out of the four combatants sported amazing mobility skills, and the only one that didn't was capable of locating the beacon without breaking a sweat. What caused the fight to end early was a mix of luck, deception and rules lawyering from the red team's part; Asui, as she fled from the monster that was Tokoyami's Black Ankh, dropped the beacon inside a bundle of piping above where Jiro and Ashido were duking it out. When the Lieutenant's new ultimate move hit the area it caused the piping to collapse above Ashido, who instinctively melted down the incoming debris alongside the beacon.

Tokoyami had successfully captured Asui and immediately closed on Jiro, but the announcement about his team's sudden defeat caused him to simply stumble and roll forward mid step.

Misdirection also played a huge role in the fourth battle, but it came in a different aspect. It quickly devolved into a game of cat and mouse where the cat, or in this case Uraraka, had to be constantly cutting corners to avoid being shot down by laser beams as she chased Midoriya around. He and Uraraka had a brief scuffle as their respective partners provided support. That scuffle to Machibuse's eyes now seemed very, very personal to Uraraka as she tried her absolute best to prove to herself that she was on Midoriya's level but in the end Aoyama's rapid-fire ultimate move, his Navel Laser Buffet, managed to cut Yaoyorozu from the fight. The red team had stumbled across the enemy already in possession of the beacon and fought tooth a nail to steal it. And they succeeded.

But…

Yaoyorozu and Uraraka had never found the beacon in the first place, and the taller girl simply created a false beacon and snuck a tracking device inside it. She even added a buzzer and a floodlight to the damn thing to make it seem more akin to the real thing. Midoriya and Aoyama defended the decoy for almost a third of the match, unable to take their time to investigate the fake because of how relentlessly they were being pursued by Uraraka. It was only when she was forced to slow down due to nausea that Midoriya realized that the only way for Uraraka to track them like she had been so consistently doing was only possible with something similar to what Yaoyorozu had used to find the Nomu in Kamino. And Yaoyorozu had been missing since they managed to steal the beacon… The red team were not being chased, they were being led away while Yaoyorozu searched for the real beacon.

"You know that are a terrible influence, right?" Shoji pointed out as he glanced one last time at the screen that showed Midoriya with his head hanging low as Yaoyorozu tried to give him some solace about his defeat.

"Is this push really necessary?" Machibuse asked back, mildly annoyed, as the four participants of the fifth and final match of the day left for the battlefield.

"Given what has been happening between you two? Yes. Yes, it is." Shoji responded bluntly.

"Yeah, it is a team effort at this point!" Kaminari gave Machibuse a shit-eating grin and a thumbs-up.

If it were possible to hear someone rolling their eyes then Machibuse would be buzzing louder than the beacons used on today's exercise.

Kaminari did his best to not laugh as he and Todoroki broke apart to head towards the gate they would take to enter the battlefield.

"Machibuse." Todoroki called, stopping for a moment.

Machibuse turned trying to not show his surprise about having even Todoroki joining fray.

There was a brief staredown before Machibuse finally broke the silence that filled the air.

"You intend on assisting Hatsume-san with locking us up in a room?" Machibuse asked tentatively.

"You had a can of energy drink with you earlier today. Don't use that drug you hit Sero and Iida on me… just knock me out or something if you must. Otherwise I might offer my services to her."

"This is one offer I might consider."

-.

 **September 1st, U.A. Highschool Ground Gamma, 1530.**

The fifth match was about to begin, both teams had arrived at their starting positions and now just waited for the green light to begin.

"How do we do this? It is a bad match-up for both of us." Shoji asked.

"Both hostiles are high-yield emitters that can punish us for engaging in physical contact. We should focus on securing the objective. We hold the defense unless I can get a clear shot." Machibuse responded, taking the downtime to load the explosive arrowhead strapped to his arm.

The buzzer went off. Green light.

Shoji immediately branched his extra limbs into about a dozen ears to pinpoint the origin of the sound.

"About thirty meters north, must be lodged somewhere high into the piping. Todoroki is using his ice another forty meters beyond that point, probably to elevate himself." he quickly informed before taking the first step towards the beacon.

Machibuse remained still, just staring at his friend's back for an instant.

"Yes, you can break your protocol." Shoji sighed, already knowing what his friends next line was going to be.

Machibuse just blinked twice, his mask hiding his partially open mouth. He shook his head quickly took to running as well.

"Just gotta say that trick you pulled just now was fucking amazing…" he offered with a short laugh.

"Flattery will not get you out of trouble, but thanks… it's nice to hear something nice about my Quirk every once in a while." Shoji responded with a light, honest shrug.

Both continued to run as Shoji kept tabs on the sounds of the battlefield.

Another buzz.

"On the other side of this wall, by that chimney. Todoroki and Kaminari are off course, but they surely heard that one." Shoji spoke from a mouth that formed on one of his arms.

"Boost me up to that ledge, I will anchor you afterwards." Machibuse proposed, quickly spinning on one heel to take a running start as Shoji leaned against the wall and joined a pair of hands to give his partner the boost.

The wall they had to go over was some four meters tall and Machibuse was easily capable of simply running it up, but the red team was already playing at a disadvantage and having to split their strength was off the table unless strictly necessary.

The Chelicerae on Machibuse's hands and on one of his soles sprung outwards, locking him along the edge with one of his legs still dangling down, allowing Shoji to quickly run back and take a high jump as he extended one of him extra arms towards the ledge while another grasped Machibuse's leg firmly.

A quick pull was enough to get both onto the ledge and Shoji immediately began scanning for the beacon.

"Over there." Shoji spoke from an extra mouth that soon shifted into a hand, directly pointing towards a catwalk that circled around a large exhaust pipe.

Machibuse this time moved alone, there was enough time for him to go back and forth. He fired the wire arrow and hopped on.

The beacon was claimed seconds after.

And a cold breeze was approaching.

-.

 **September 1st, U.A. Highschool Ground Gamma, Observation Deck, 1532.**

"So, now that they got the thingy, what are Machibuse and Shoji going to do?" Ashido asked to no one in specific.

"Captain surely has some two or three plans on the back of his mind already. And Kaminari is pretty dumb, so there's that." Jiro mused as she watched how Machibuse and Shoji now began retreating.

"He better have, even if those two can move around well there is no way that they can keep out of Todoroki's reach for the entire match." Kirishima pointed out as hi turned his attention to another camera feed, this one displaying how Todoroki was quickly closing up by using his ice to create pathways over the maze. Kaminari was a few meters behind his partner, stumbling a little as he tried his best to not slip. The blue team had lost a few seconds at the start of the match so Todoroki could bind some scraps of metal to Kaminari's soles with ice, improvising some ice-shoes.

"This is a tough match… Machibuse-san and Shoji-san create one of the strongest two-man teams we can have in our class. Recon, stealth, speed, brute force, tactics, crowd control… they cover pretty much all the bases and fill in for each other's weakness… but they are going against two opponents that easily rule out physical combat with their Quirks… this leaves the arrows as the only real threat, but unless he is caught by surprise then Todoroki-san can just block them with either his ice or fire…" Midoriya rambled on as he stared unblinkingly at the screen with one hand resting on his chin. No one was able to figure out when did he had the time to pick his notebook.

Class 1-A just stared at him for a moment until he realized that he had been mumbling again.

Midoriya's face got just the right shade of red to match his shoes.

"I-I-I mean…! I-I'm not saying that Machibuse-san and Shoji-san are going to lose! It's just that this is the the first time we see Machibuse-san paired up with someone that directly fills in for raw physical power while also having recon advantage!" Midoriya stammered as he tried to explain his logic.

"Huh… guess I can see your point. I mean, Shoji's arms are pretty much as thick as my legs, it's not like I can just plow through walls like he can. Me and the Captain just double down on what we are good at and have to work around the weakness that remain, and it is the same with him and Yaomomo." Jiro concluded after a moment to think about the times she had seen Machibuse paired with other people for direct combat. Other than her and Yaoyorozu, she could remember of the top of her head that he was with Todoroki during the USJ incident, but their teamwork there was most likely the result of just having two really strong people lumped together, and the mess that was his final exam alongside Mineta. There were also the Stain situation he was put through with Midoriya, Iida and Todoroki and she had heard about him fighting alongside people from Class 1-B during the whole summer camp fiasco, but she knew very little about those fights.

Oh, and there was that time she saw him and his freaking grandmother stepping into the ring to fight off a dozen armed terrorists at I-Island. That happened.

"Still, Midoriya-san is right about the difficulty of the situation. Doesn't matter if those two have near-perfect synergy if they can't fight back." Yaoyorozu concluded, eyes fixated at the screen.

"You think it will be this one sided, Yaomomo?" Kirishima asked, mildly confused by that.

"You got hit in the head, Shit-Hair? Bob the Builder over there can't even hide that she is cheering on for her boyfriend." Bakugo scowled, also paying a lot of attention to the match.

"So, you want Machibuse to win or just want to see Todoroki losing?" Sero teased.

"I want to see if Pinprick will keep on with his tradition of drugging people." Bakugo grinned mischeavously.

There was a small silence in the observation deck as everyone realized that something else was at play in that match.

It was their chance to behold Todoroki high on whatever Machibuse concoctioned.

Iida slowly got his helmet back, it was better that he covered his face when facing those horrific memories. Sero just began laughing alongside most of the class at the mental image of Todoroki singing Let It Go as he blasted ice mid-song.

Then the silence returned.

Class 1-A was now mildly scared at the prospect of having Todoroki just switching it up and going for Night of Fire instead, with pyrotechniques and all.

-.

 **September 1st, U.A. Highschool Ground Gamma, 1540.**

Machibuse and Shoji continued to run, passing the beacon between themselves whenever one needed a little more mobility. Shoji had the thing most of the time, it was child's play for him to carry the ball while extending an extra arm or two to swing around the pipes, just passing it to his partner when some gliding was needed.

"Six-hundred seconds left. How close are they?" Machibuse asked as he vaulted over a gap in the catwalk he was on.

"They are a little off our track, but that will only last until the next alarm. We don't have much room to escape now, so unless Hatsume hooked you up with a teleporter we are going to have to fight in about a minute." Shoji responded.

"I am afraid that she hasn't provided me with any. So we are going to need to brace for the impact." Machibuse chuckled lightly.

"Who we target first? It's not like either choice is much better than the other. I got hit by both on the Cavalry Battle, not looking forward to a second serving." Shoji asked as both him and Machibuse stopped by an area more densely packed with pipes they could use for cover.

"Kaminari-san is the better target because he cannot outright block our attacks, but this makes him the obvious choice. We have better chances feigning an attack against him but targeting Todoroki-san instead. Still, cutting them off from one another should yield better results overall and if I can get both with my explosive arrow we end the match in an instant." Machibuse explained the plan as he reached for the bag of caltrops.

The beacon went off.

Now even without heightened hearing Machibuse could heard the enemy approaching.

He reached for the caltrops and scattered them around.

"You are a really bad influence." Shoji sighed.

"That was uncalled for." Machibuse turned around with an unamused look.

"Just get to the other side and hide. I got a way to distract them but I will need some smoke." Shoji motioned as he ducked behind cover.

Just as Machibuse made it to a perch a few meters away from Shoji there was a loud crash.

Then silence.

That was surely a distraction.

"This is totally a trap." Kaminari stated the obvious.

Todoroki scanned the area inch by inch. That was very wrong.

There was it, completely exposed save by some ten or so caltrops that weren't even that close.

Shoji had simply left the beacon on the ground. Not even an effort was made to place that bait.

Yet Kaminari and Todoroki didn't approach.

That trap was so obvious that they were expecting something. And that made them reluctant to move. And the longer they remained still the better, less time fighting spelled victory for the red team.

" _Well, when in Rome…"_ Machibuse thought as he knocked an arrow on his bow and fired it upwards in a sharp angle, causing the projectile to make a parabolic trajectory and hit the pipes near the enemy team.

Todoroki would've seen a straight shot.

But then again, that wasn't any kind of arrow.

" _Hey, melon nose!"_ the speaker taunted just as the arrow landed, causing both enemies to instinctively turn, their guards up.

"You really need some better lines for that thing." Shoji's voice came from somewhere on the other side of the cramped battlefield. From his perch Machibuse could see that it was just a mouth at the end of a long tentacle that ran underneath the piping.

Todoroki and Kaminari now snapped towards the voice.

Their patience to deal with whatever was that strategy was clearly running low.

The beacon went off once more.

Todoroki took the bold first step.

That was the signal, Machibuse moved to take the shot.

Then another tentacle came from underneath the piping, this one had an eye and quickly created a hand to pick up the beacon.

There was a puff of pink smoke soon followed by a surge of ice.

Kaminari was quick to spin on his heel and fire away at the arrow's point of origin, sending one of his pointer disks before following it with a bolt of electricity.

That got unpleasantly close as Machibuse felt the smell of ozone filling the air as he fled. He had learned from Hatsume that the "blond battery dude" had requested an item do help him control his electricity, and Kaminari sure got the handle on how to use that thing.

Todoroki quickly dispersed the smoke with a burst of flame, but by then Shoji had already retrieved the beacon and moved on.

Machibuse had a general idea as to where his partner had run to, now it was just a matter of waiting for the beacon to give Shoji's exact location away.

About thirty seconds later the damn buzzer was going at it again.

"So, how long until the end of the match?" Shoji asked as he held the beacon under one arm.

"About four-hundred and ten seconds." Machibuse responded as more ice protruded from behind the pipes.

"How far do you think you can toss that beacon?" Machibuse added the question, turning his attention to the center of the battlefield.

"They will see me throwing it." Shoji pointed out.

"That will force them to rethink their entire plan. Time is still in our favor." Machibuse nodded.

Just as the blue team reached their targets they were greeted by the sight of Shoji literally whipping the objective back towards the central area.

"Are you two that serious about not fighting us?" Kaminari groaned as he watched the objective getting farther away.

Todoroki didn't waste a second, a pillar of ice quickly forming at his feet as he tried to launch himself after the beacon.

An arrow passing dangerously close to his face forced him to reconsider however, having to instead use the ice to block.

"You two have about six minutes to locate that beacon, but I am afraid that we might have to stand in your way." Machibuse spoke, now knocking a second arrow on his bow and quickly dashing towards Kaminari.

Ice surged towards him, but that was not something that would hinder his attack. Machibuse wasn't all that worried about ice.

"Octoblow!"

A barrage of fists shattered the incoming attack, providing Machibuse with a large enough window to close into Kaminari's position. Arcs of electricity were visible over the target, but he wouldn't discharge everything with Todoroki this close. Both members of the blue team jumped away from each other.

Their very own overwhelming strength was the weak link in the enemy team, they were the weakest when too close to one another.

Shoji closed in as well.

In a quick jump Machibuse vaulted over Kaminari, his bow draw and ready to fire at the blonde's back.

Todoroki now prepared to blast his fire to burn down Machibuse's bow.

But Shoji took the opportunity to firmly grasp the cold side of Todoroki's body and get him into position.

No one was going to like that plan, but it was the best they could pull off given that touching the enemy effectively ended the match.

Machibuse released the arrow.

The explosive arrow.

-.

 **September 1st, U.A. Highschool Ground Gamma, Observation Deck, 1545.**

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

Then they realized what just had happened

"Does this mean… that Shoji and Machibuse win? PFFFT!" Ashido asked, not believing on her eyes and barely holding her laughter back.

"I… suppose it does?" Midnight was not faring much better.

"Any idea of how long that will last?" Aisawa groaned annoyedly.

"Ten to fifteen minutes… that bomb isn't… as efficient as a direct hit…" Yaoyorozu responded, one hand over her mouth as she tried to keep her composure.

The great majority of Class 1-A was lost in various stages of hysterical laugher. As were the four combatants in the screen.

All four got caught in the blast. All four were now sprawled on the floor, low to the ground but still high as kites, laughing their asses off.

Kaminari somehow ended up also frying his brain with his Quirk and wasn't even capable of getting a "Yay" out.

Shoji followed his lead, mimicking the thumbs up. About twenty times at once.

Todoroki was going back and forth between laughing and screaming whenever his hand erupted in flames for an instant.

Machibuse was the first to get up, at first giving the impression that he had escaped the effects of his own attack. That was when he promptly spotted one of the cameras and gracefully tottered towards it and somehow managed to climb onto the railing.

No one had a clue of what he just tried to say for Momo to hear, given that he flipped his speech to Okinawan mid-sentence before losing himself in another fit of laughter, his face was as red as a fucking tomato and his pupils as wide as coins.

Aisawa gave another annoyed groan.

"Let's just leave them for a while."

…

..

.

 _ **AN: So yeah, I was asked if there would be a time in this story where Hakuba would get high off his own Quirk… I feel like I have the priorities of a twelve-years old sometimes. The reason as to why he gets people high during training in first place is that it is a safer than outright knock people out. He crossed that line during the fight with Ojiro back in the weeks leading to the Sports Festival, and we all know how that ended.**_

 _ **Regardless, we should be back on track in just a few days given that the license exam stuff is already half-written.**_

 _ **So huh… until next time. Stay in drugs, don't do school. Yeah...**_


	43. Snake Hunting

_**First of all I gotta apologize for the delay. Yours truly works at HR for a company that deals in importing livestock, grain and, most importantly, wood... You can imagine that the whole Amazon being on fire situation that ended up in the news this last couple of weeks had me rather swamped in work to do. I will still try to push another one or two chapters this month, but I can't promise that I will be able to keep up with the normal updating schedule of one chapter every seven to ten days.**_

-.

 **September 2nd, Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya, Yagoto Cemetery, 1625.**

Machibuse calmly made his way down the stone stairs. It was time for him to get back to U.A., he would've preferred to stay a little longer given that this had been the first time he visited his parents since the aftermath of what happened in Kamino. That had been the longest break between his visits since he left Okinawa.

Still, the situation had changed a lot since Kamino, and he would need to conform with the restrictions that came with the dorm system put in place by U.A.. The simple fact that he managed to come all the way to the cemetery today was already good enough.

"Sensei, we may go now." Machibuse spoke as he reached the gate, bowing in gratitude as he addressed his homeroom teacher. Aisawa had come with him to Nagoya as it had been established by the school that having a pro-hero around was a requirement for the students of the Hero Course to leave the school grounds for longer stretches of time.

"Hmm." Aisawa nodded as he got to his feet, apparently he had found a cat wandering about the street and, if the amount of white hairs on his black clothing equated to the amount of time he spent petting it, then he and that cat had gotten very close.

The feline looked at Aisawa for a moment, as if asking why the man had stopped. Then it noticed Machibuse and quickly ran away with its fur standing tall after a loud hiss.

"Talk about animal magnetism." Aisawa commented as he began walking towards the street to find a cab to the station.

"Mineta-san says it is because animals know when they see a predator." Machibuse responded with a tired sigh as he followed.

Didn't take long for both to get onboard their ride.

"Sensei, if we obtain our provisional licenses tomorrow then it will be easier for us to leave, is that correct? I am grateful that you are available to accompany me, but I suppose that you already have your hands full without having to keep an eye on me." Machibuse asked, now turning to the man sitting by his side.

"That is a possibility but watching over you guys is part of my job… and besides only you and Todoroki are expected to leave on a regular basis. But do get your hands on your provisional license regardless of that, it's an order." Aisawa responded, eyes still fixated on the window as he watched the cemetery hill getting smaller.

"Yes, Sir!" Machibuse responded firmly.

"Still, gotta ask you something… any reason why you visit the graveyard so often?" Aisawa's expression wavered for an instant.

Machibuse took an instant to respond, not exactly expecting his homeroom teacher to pose such a personal question.

"I have left them waiting for too long, and a lot has happened since. If they can hear me then they would like to know how I am doing…"

After that, small talk was far from prevalent during the train ride back to Musutafu, and when it did happen it had more to do with things such as Shinso's progress and a little bit about how the second semester was going to be structured.

Aisawa had never been one to display much about his feelings, but Machibuse couldn't help but feel that his teacher was tinged with some resentment about the graveyard question.

Perhaps Machibuse wasn't the only one with graves to look after.

-.

 **September 3rd, Tokyo, Dagoba National Arena, Entrance, 1300.**

"Ah, I'm getting nervous!"

"Steel yourself, Lieutenant. We have been through worse."

The day had finally arrived. The big exam that would effectively lead Class 1-A to the door of their second semester. Stakes were high and the air was getting heavy as they approached the filter ahead.

Aisawa called the students.

"If you can pass and get your provisional licenses, then you novice eggs will become chicks… You will hatch into semi-pros. Do your best." the teacher, in his own way, offered his support.

"All right! Gotta hatch!" Kaminari was quick to get pumped.

"Let's call out the usual! Ready, set…!" Kirishima began the war cry.

Machibuse had never bothered with the whole "Plus Ultra" thing; the military had taught him the importance of cohesion within a unity, but a mix of disinterest and discomfort stopped him from ever joining in that ritual.

This time however it was something else that halted his participation: an extra person had joined their group, and it was someone he never expected to see again.

"Plus…!" Kirishima started.

"…ULTRA!"

Class 1-A was silent for an instant. Confused as to why that fellow had joined in.

Machibuse, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu all recognized him however. Candidate 41, all the way from the entrance exam they took together.

If anything, he seemed as obnoxious now as he did back in February.

"You shouldn't just barge in other people's huddles, Inasa." another voice came from the side, a serious tone that at least tried to reel the loud visitor back. With him were a handful of other students, all sporting the same combination of uniform and cap.

Machibuse felt as if the only girl in that group had her eyes locked on him for an instant, immediately turning her attention towards Midoriya as if she knew she had been spotted and leaving Machibuse with the odd sensation that they had met before. For sure he wouldn't have forgotten the face of such an interesting young lady, but he still couldn't shake that feeling off.

"Oh… I am… very… extremely… SORRY!" Inasa, as apparently he was called, went absolutely crazy with that apology, almost cracking the pavement with his forehead as he bowed in respect.

" _Can't say I regret not having this one around…"_ Machibuse stared at the scene with a flat expression on his face.

"What's with that guy!? Trying to get by just on enthusiasm!?" Karimari shouted in confusion, voicing the thoughts of pretty much the entire class.

"Hey, isn't that uniform…" Jiro pointed out.

"It's from that famous school in western Japan…" Kirishima responded to her suspicions.

"U.A. in the east, Shiketsu in the west." Bakugo concluded in a serious tone that gave away that he at least had some respect for whatever that uniform represented.

Machibuse just nodded along, pretending to know this "Shikestsu" everyone was talking about. He already had a hard time keeping up with the actual heroes and it never even crossed his mind that he had to learn about other hero schools.

"I wanted to try saying it once! Plus Ultra! I love U.A. high school! I am extremely honored to be able to compete against U.A. students! I'm looking forward to it!" Inasa now rose his head, beaming with excitement.

"Oh, blood…" the girl muttered as she and the remainder of the Shiketsu group began walking towards the exam site with one of their members calling out Inasa to stop his antics.

"Yoarashi Inasa…" Aisawa spoke after a short pause as he watched the rival students leaving.

"Sensei, do you know him?' Hagakure asked curiosly.

"He is… strong. He applied to the same year as you guys, and got the top scores of all the students that took the recommendation exam, but for some reason turned down his acceptance." Aisawa explained

"The top score from the recommendation exam!?" Midoriya was taken aback, his eyes turning towards Todoroki as it had just been implied that Yoarashi was stronger than the best in Class 1-A.

"It's because of his decision that we ended up an odd number of recommended students this year. He was supposed to be in your class and Machibuse would have been assigned to 1-B instead." the teacher added, turning slightly towards said third recommended student.

"I see." Machibuse responded, his plain tone hiding his surprise. He had always been curious as to why Class 1-B was short one recommended student, now he knew why. U.A. likely had decided in favor of picking someone else from the regular exam than lowering the standard for the recommendation on such a short notice.

"Suppose I prefer the hand we were dealt." Yaoyorozu commented, quirking an eyebrow as she watched the Shiketsu entourage in the distance, still picking up Yoarashi's loud voice.

"Of course _you_ would say that." Ashido teased with a sly grin.

"I was referring to how having Hakuba and Monoma-san bundled together would be far from ideal, that's all." Yaoyorozu excused herself.

"Yeah, sure…" Jiro chuckled.

There was a brief silence between the girls as Yaoyorozu blushed ever so slightly.

"Well, maybe there is something else..." she admitted with a soft smile.

Machibuse could not help but smile a little as his eyes met hers, those little things she did had always been his weakness. Whatever reason Yoarashi had behind his decision giving U.A. the cold shoulder, Machibuse felt grateful for it.

"Still, if that guy loves U.A. so much then why did he threw away his chance to enroll in it? I don't get it." Sero asked to no one in particular.

"Right? What a weirdo…" Ashido agreed.

"He may be weird, but he's the real thing. Keep an eye out for him." Aisawa reminded everyone of what was at stake today.

"Eraser? It's you, isn't it, Eraser!?"

A cheerful voice came from the side, and for some reason Aisawa stiffened like a board. He was uncomfortable to say the least.

"I saw you during that press conference on the TV a while ago, but it's been a while since I last seen you in person!" a woman of teal green hair approached with a radiant smile. A pro hero if the clothing she wore was anything to go by.

That and Midoriya's immediate reaction as he shouted the exposition about how that woman, who went by the alias of Ms. Joke, had a Quirk that caused people to laugh and used it to pull some crazy stunts as a hero. Perhaps that laughing Quirk had something to do with the distaste Aisawa had for Machibuse's laughing drug.

"Let's get married." Ms. Joke casually spoke as she stopped in front of Aisawa.

"No." he declined flatly. That exchange certainly had happened before, and multiple times.

Now Machibuse was just left to wonder if Ashido would have the balls to tease their teacher about that like how she did with everyone else in Class 1-A when they had any kind of slightly romantic moment.

"Rejected! Good one!" Ms. Joke hunched over in laughter.

"You're hard to talk to, as usual, Joke." Aisawa chided.

"Come on, if you marry me we, then we can make a happy family with never ending laughter!" the woman insisted, emphasizing her commitment with an over the top thumbs up.

"How can a family like that can even be happy?" Aisawa however wasn't having any of that.

"You two seem close." Asui pointed out.

"Our agencies were close to each other back in the day. In our cycle of helping and being helped, our mutual love for each other bloomed…" Ms. Joke explained, blushing like a teenage girl.

"No, it didn't." Aisawa cut her off.

"I love your quick retorts! You are so worth teasing, Eraser." she laughed.

"Joke, since you're here, that means…" Aisawa shifted the conversation away.

"That's right! Everyone, come here! It's U.A.." Ms. Joke called out for a group of students a few meters away from where she stood.

"Oh! The real thing!"

"Wow, that's amazing! I've seen them all on TV!"

"Ketsubutsu Academy, second year, Class 2! They are my class. Please be kind." Ms. Joke introduced the incoming group, some eight teenagers all sporting the same light gray uniform with a disposition that caused shivers to run down Machibuse's spine. Nothing like the good memories from the hell that was the Sports Festival.

"I'm Shindo! U.A. this year had trouble after trouble, so it must've been tough! But even so, you are all still aiming to be heroes like this huh? That's wonderful! A heart of fortitude is what I believe all heroes should have from now on!" one of the students introduced himself with a sweet, radiant tone to his voice as he shook hands with everyone at arm's length.

"He's too bright!" Jiro was taken aback.

"He is totally the charming pretty-boy type!" Kaminari pointed out.

" _Full of shit, I'd say…"_ Machibuse quirked an eyebrow as he eye his own hand, the Chelicerae inside his palm still twitchy from the unexpected contact. That kind of attitude right out of the gate was certainly a cover up for something bad.

"From among you, there's Bakugo-kun and Machibuse-kun, you two who were at the center of the Kamino Incident. You two have especially strong hearts! Today I will be doing my best to learn from you!" Shindo spoke happily as he now extended a hand towards Bakugo.

"Stop pretending. What you are saying doesn't match the look on your face!" Bakugo sneered as he slapped the hand away.

Shindo's expression faltered for an instant.

"Hey! Stop being so rude, Bakugo!" Kirishima shouted as he tried to soothe the situation.

"Bakugo-san, some Okinawan knowledge for you: If you happen to spot a viper near you, you don't immediately turn towards it. Being looked at directly makes the viper more aggressive and one should always strive for a clean capture when snake hunting." Machibuse offered in a neutral tone, flashing the weapons in his hand for a brief second as he gave Shindo a hard, sizing look.

"Ehh! Machibuse!? You too!?" Kirishima widened his eyes now. Bakugo being aggressive was something he had somewhat grown used to, but sometimes it escaped him that Machibuse had a much darker side.

"It's fine! It just proves how strong their hearts are." Shindo dismissed the problem, now somewhat more defensive as to prevent further unmasking.

The two schools had a few more minutes of idle chat before Aisawa called them to change into their costumes and head to orientation.

The time had come.

-.

 **September 3rd, Tokyo, Dagoba National Arena, 1350.**

It was suffocating.

"There are so many people here…" Uraraka gasped.

There had to be over a thousand people in that room, and Machibuse was already swallowing hard at the idea of them just turning their eyes to him as his own eyes were busy searching for the closest escape route. It's was a matter of time, not only was he U.A., but he had become one of the more notorious given what happened in Kamino. Every way out had been blocked by a mass of bodies but vaulting over one or two hopefuls wasn't an issue.

Sure, running away right now wasn't the rational choice, but since when is fear rational?

Standing just out of arm's length from him was Yaoyorozu, she couldn't see his face because of the hoodie but knew very well what was going through his mind right now. Momo knew that Hakuba was in the same situation from back when they went to the festival together before that disaster of a summer camp… back then she was readily able to support him, now she hesitated for a second.

Momo took a deep breath and reached for Hakuba's shoulder, but before she connected something got everyone's attention.

"Umm…" the speakers across the room turned on, echoing the tired voice of the man now adjusting himself at the mic.

"Well then, let's do that provisional license thing… I'm Mera from the Heroes Public Safety Commission. The kind of sleep I like is non-REM sleep… Nice to meet you. I've been so busy that I haven't got much sleep… We're too short staffed… I'm so sleepy!... With that conviction I will give you the orientation." the man introduced himself, rambling on about his sleep deprivency.

"Somehow he reminds me of my father…" Hakuba spoke confusedly as he now noticed Momo closing in.

"It was that bad?" Momo asked, relived that this surprise at least got Hakuba out of shock.

"He adhered to the protocol, so it didn't show much. But I would be lying if I said that I never saw him like this." Hakuba responded, mildly nostalgic.

"About the content of the provisional license thing… Frankly, all 1540 examinees here will have to win through a free-for-all exercise before we move on." Mera began the orientation.

"Seriosly, that is not much to go on…" Sero muttered his dismay.

"Our society is currently said to be oversaturated with heroes, and ever since Stain was arrested, many have shown doubts about the current state of heroes. Well, no matter what, as a private citizen to tell someone risking their lives to save others not to seek any reward is… is the ruthless story of these modern times…" the official explained, causing a tangible shift in the air around Machibuse once Stain was mentioned.

"But anyway, whether if for compensation or for loyalty and courage… the result of many people working together to help people and defeat villain it that right now, the time from when an incident begins to when it is resolved is the short that it'd make you sick. You are all about to receive your provisional licenses and throw yourselves into those rapids. Those who can't keep up the speed, frankly will have it tough." Mera finished the explanation about the circumstances of the exam and what it represented.

Then his tone shifted.

"Accordingly, you will all be tested on speed! The first one hundred to fulfil the requirements will pass." Mera broke the news.

The entirety of the examinee body tensed up, the bar was finally set and was clearly set high.

"There are 1540 people taking the exam… Didn't they say that about half would pass…?" Yaoyorozu was taken aback.

"This means that less than ten percent will actually pass…" Asui pointed out.

"I'm getting even more nervous!" Jiro cried out.

"Well, a lot's happened out there in the world, and you know, about luck and everything… So anyway, here are the requirements." Mera resumed as he got up and picked two different objects.

"Each examinee will put three of these targets on his or her body. They can go anywhere as long as it is an exposed area. That means you can't have them on the soles of your feet or under your arms. You will also receive six of these balls. The targets are made to only lit up if struck by one of these, and if all your targets lit up, then you are out. The person who lights up your third target gets the point, and you get through this round by defeating two people and scoring two points. That's all for the rules." Mera concluded the explanation, leaving the hopefuls now to wonder how to deal with the task at hand.

" _Search and destroy then. They want to weed out people and only keep the best, now it is a matter of making the cut."_ Machibuse though to himself as he began running the factors of the test. It was going to be chaos at first, but once people started to get hit once or twice then things would hopefully slow down.

"After we open, we will pass the targets and balls, and then we will start one minute after we've gotten to everyone." Mera added.

""Open"?" Todoroki repeated.

Then the whole place began shaking, the ceiling opened up to reveal the blue sky above and soon the walls fell to the sides.

They were in the middle of the arena.

"I believe that all of you have terrain that you like and dislike. Use your Quirks well and do your best." Mera explained the arena as everyone took in the massive change of scenario.

Those guys were going all out, that's for sure.

"Anyway, we announced for the terrain to be announced like that. It may seem unnecessary but honestly I just hope you guys finish this quickly so I can go rest as soon as possible…" Mera concluded as he got up from his desk and begun leaving as the Heroes Public Safety Commission personnel began distributing the items necessary for the exam.

Soon enough Machibuse had received the balls as one member of the staff placed the targets down where the student had specified using some sort of magnetic key. One over the scar Chizome left on his abdomen, the second over the scar on his left tight, the one his godfather left him at the Murakumo… he would've placed the third on another scar just to keep the trend going, but the only ones that remained were either on his back, and thus harder to defend, or the one he got from Bakugo, but that would make it impossible to properly use his hand.

The third target fitted nicely over the tailored hole over his tattoo. That surely was a location he would protect.

Machibuse chucked lightly, sometimes he did things himself had a hard time believing.

In minutes all 1540 examinees were outfitted with the required items, and soon they began to scurry away from the orientation room.

"Everyone, don't get too separated! Let's move as a group!" Midoriya called out as he got ready to move.

Uraraka and Iida quickly took up the idea, and so did the majority of the class.

"Yeah right, this isn't some field trip!" Baguko spat as he turned his back and left with Kirishima running behind him, shouting for him to stop.

"Kacchan!" Midoriya called but was left ignored.

"I'm going on my own as well. It's hard for me to use my power in such a big group." Todoroki also split from party. At least providing some good reasoning for his decision.

"Todoroki-kun!" Midoriya called once more.

"Midoriya, there is no time! Let's go!" Mineta stepped in.

"We are fighting in an open space and moving as a large detachment. Suppose I should split from the group as well once we survive the first wave of attacks; the situation is not playing to my strengths." Machibuse spoke, bowing softly as he excused himself to some protest.

The eighteen members of Class 1-A got moving.

"I don't think it is a good idea to go off on our own, though… you know, everyone already knows what powers we have." Midoriya explained his logic, looking back for a moment to make sure Machibuse was still following.

"They already know?" Uraraka asked confused.

"The Sports Festival!" Iida responded.

To his merit Midoriya made a quick adjustment in their route and the group was now approaching the rocky formation that reached far above ground level, that was a good defensible position.

"I think that this will end up being a battle between schools. Which means that when they start thinking of what school to go after first…" Midoriya spoke, rising some worries amongst his classmates.

Then the bell rung.

" _FIRST TEST, START!"_

All enemies were upon them in an instant. And like rain the many orange balls came down, each carrying the chance of taking out one of the famous Class 1-A.

Midoriya blasted some away with the pressured from one of his kicks, Sero and Tokoyami straight out blocked from range, Uraraka and Iida dodged, Ashido hosed down the projectiles with acid, Yaoyorozu provided shields for those around her.

Machibuse just stood still, at most sidestepping or swatting away the projectiles that got too close. Simply throwing out the balls like that and hoping to get an elimination was absurdly inefficient.

Still, now he had to deal with being stuck in the open while under attack.

What a drag…

"Keep going! We can do this!" Midoriya shouted as the first barrage finally died down.

Now the real test began, in the chaos someone had obviously taken the chance to strike someone aiming at U.A. and it quickly broke down into a battle royale. Now the strikes against the U.A. group would be far more focused and dangerous.

Jiro and Ashido had to bust out some special moves to keep the attack from Ketsubutsu from connecting, and Tokoyami failed to strike back. The two schools would soon get down to war of attrition, and that benefited no one.

" _There is still a stalemate in all quarters… No one has passed yet. Oh, when I get the reports I will be announcing them from this broad casting area."_ Mera's voice came from a speaker hidden somewhere. Announcing how many people had passed was a petty trap, but it would send those not prepared for the test absolutely over the edge.

Then something moved amongst the Ketsubutsu line.

Shindo crouched.

"Break! Maximum Force! TREMORING EARTH!"

The ground shock.

" _Talk about overdoing..."_ Machibuse clung to the slab of stone he was standing on, Chelicerae digging deep as he watched his class being scattered by the tremors, most if not all of them being flung away.

There was a moment of silence as the dust settled.

Mera screaming something about someone taking out over a hundred people at once made it clear that the earthquake site wasn't the only one seeing action.

Finally able to have a look around Machibuse quickly pressed his back against the closest wall.

Alone.

The once flat rocky outcrop was now riddled with upturned boulders.

Even if the change in scenario was mostly beneficial for Machibuse, he couldn't help but worry. Still, he needed to be on the move, he would not be able to find anyone if he ended up taken out from the exam.

Machibuse took to prowling the area, bow in hand and eyes keen for enemy movement. He moved away from the epicenter of the attack as it was much more likely that people were tossed away.

Fighting in the area was quick to resume, attacks and orange balls now crossed the air, there were a few decent targets in sight but according to Mera only four people had passed. There was no need to rush, it was much safer to simply wait and swoop down on someone that was either alone or on its last live target.

For the moment he focused on keeping himself out of trouble and looking for his classmates.

Five people passed.

Then six.

Seven and eight came in quick succession.

The stones provided good cover, but it would be hard to ambush someone in there as the groups were too tight around that area.

Machibuse vaulted over a boulder, avoiding the eyes of a group of about six people frantically searching for easy points as he now began stalking them for an opening. The announcement of the tenth person making it past the first phase got some people over the edge.

Not worth the risk, maybe if he managed to lure one or two away for an instant then things got a lot better…

He readied to pull one arrow.

Then a third party also made its move.

There was another tremor.

Ketsubutsu also had their sights on that group, and unfortunately that attack forced Machibuse to jump out of his hiding spot.

The six examinees were quickly knocked out or otherwise incapacitated by combined assault, and that left Machibuse in a much worse situation: One versus eight. Against opponents that clearly knew what they were doing.

"If it isn't the snake hunter!" Shindo taunted, recognizing the bowman that landed in a crouch some ten meters away from his group.

Machibuse kept silent, eyes now quickly darting back and forth to access his situation. The brief exchange between his classmates and the group from Ketsubutsu revealed four of the eight Quirks they had at their disposal. Two of those were unlikely to present a direct threat, the blond girl had a Quirk honed for evasion and the rocky blue fellow had one that apparently relied on touch. The other two he had some knowledge about were more troublesome, and the other four presented an even bigger risk.

It would be a tough fight.

"So, back at that Sports Festival of yours, Present Mic said that you were always scheming… what plan are you concocting to get me into a plate?" Shindo continued as his classmates slowly got in position to take down the U.A. student.

"Please, Shindo-san… we do eat snakes in Okinawa, yes. But we prefer to save the vipers for snake wine; we ice them unconscious before gutting, sewing up and bottling in awamori liquor. A good bottle of Habushu is worth quite the sum, folks tell that it cures erectile dysfunction." Machibuse went along with the provocation, now reaching for the appropriate ammo.

"Umm… thanks for the explanation…?" the girl offered, slightly grossed out.

"Do you think you can wrestle your way out of this one?" Shindo's tone now turned serious.

The stalemate was about to reach a boiling point.

Machibuse quickly knocked an arrow and drew his bow.

"I have a final technique for situations such as this one. Ultimate Move..."

-.

 **September 3rd, Tokyo, Dagoba National Arena, Stands, 1410.**

It was hard to tell what exactly was happening down at the arena, but that didn't stop Ms. Joke from trying to get some small talk out of Eraserhead.

"I expected them to trim down the fat this year, but simply leaving those kids to do it themselves feels a little unprofessional from the people of the Heroes Public Safety Commission…" she sighed, leaning her elbows onto the seat in front of her.

Eraserhead kept silent, but an answer came anyway.

"I offered that my institution assisted with the exam this year given the mess you hero people have made lately, but the Commission wanted to save face." a tired voice came from the doorway, words accompanied by puffs of smoke.

"Machibuse-dono." Aisawa was quick to stand up and bow, a giving a quick glance towards Fukukado as to prompt her to do the same.

"Teachers shouldn't bow." Machibuse Hakame waved them off as she picked a seat at random, leaving her two bodyguards at the door.

The arrival of such a commanding presence caused the tension in the stands watching over the battlefield to skyrocket. The noise from the arena seemed distant now.

"Hey, Eraser… is she who I think she is?" Fukukado meandered closer to Aisawa as she whispered the question.

Aisawa just nodded.

"Ma'am, you have been dealing with the Commission?" he questioned, choosing his words carefully. He had heard from Midnight that the elder Machibuse had been rather… incisive with both the Principal and Present Mic.

"With one of their advisors, but apparently they believe that having a battle royale like this is good enough to weed out those that are not ready to carry a hero license. A bold move given that Akaguro Chizome got so many doubting the competence of today's heroes. But that is not why I am here today." the elder Machibuse responded with mild scorn in her voice before taking another drag of her cigarette.

It took Fukukado strength she didn't know she had to not laugh and point out that the woman was literally sitting under the "no smoking" sign.

"I must admit I was not expecting you to come and see him taking the exam, Ma'am." Aisawa offered, mostly an excuse to avoid the topic of U.A.'s failures throughout this year.

"I just happened to have time to spare today while I wait for Toshinori to get through some paperwork for later today. If Fura has been told to pass on this exam then he will pass, that does not depend on me being here or not." the elder answered in a neutral tone much too similar to her grandson's.

The question was clearly visible in Aisawa's face.

"Classified information that does not concern U.A., at least not for the moment." she was quick to shot down the matter.

Tension was building up again. It has been a while since Ms. Joke had seen Eraserhead so jumpy around someone. Must've been hard to deal with having someone this big weighting in after U.A. failed to protect their students. Fukukado had heard an off comment or two from the media outlets around that time saying that the former minister of defense simply demanded to be present at the discussions that took place inside U.A. after the incident.

That was when Fukukado noticed that the elder had been eyeing her.

"Now, Eraser… do you plan on introducing your friend to me? I do keep tabs on those around my grandson and I wasn't informed that you were seeing someone from outside U.A.." the elder Machibuse inquired.

Aisawa's expression completely broke. That had to be the funniest face Fukukado ever saw him doing.

Laughter echoed in the stands.

"You've made my day, Ma'am!"

-.

 **September 3rd, Tokyo, Dagoba National Arena, 1425.**

Some would've called him a coward.

But Machibuse preferred to think of himself as someone aware of his own limitations. And his mother had told him plenty of times that there was no shame in retreating to fight another day.

The whole "Ultimate Move" thing was nothing more than a bluff. Machibuse had simply fired a smoke bomb between himself and his enemies before turning around and running away.

And sure a hell he was good at running away, that was one family teaching he had no problems with.

By now he had left the rocky area and was already on his way up one of the many buildings in the urban area of the arena where he spotted two people escaping from a larger battle rushing in.

Ideal prey.

" _We are up to fifty people now. Halfway there, come on."_ Mera's voice once more echoed through the speakers. By now a lot of people would be tired, panicking and would've been tagged at least once, but there was enough time to keep most people from resorting to all-out offense. It was the ideal time to strike.

Taking the usual care on each step, Machibuse followed the sounds coming from the floor above him. The two targets were talking loudly about needing only one point each and were likely only taking a break from the chaos out in the main street. Perhaps one or both the targets had Quirks that depleted their stamina and needed a time-out.

He began synthesizing something to get them to sleep peacefully while he took his time with the targets. His standard payload would be good enough normally, but it was better to ensure that whomever he was tailing would have no chance to struggle.

Machibuse reached the floor where he last heard his targets just in time to see someone turning around the corner.

Carefully he pressed on.

Two males, one about his size and the other standing at an impressive two-meters tall, with an arm that looked like a crane of sorts and an rust colored set of armor. The shorter one had some speed Quirk if his racing car themed costume was anything to go by: Bright red, lightning bolts drawn, the whole shebang.

The first had one target already lit up while the later had been struck twice already.

The speedy one was the most worrisome, so Machibuse took his time to get a clear shot. It wouldn't matter if the guy was as fast as lightning if he couldn't react in time.

Both came to a stop by what looked like a water fountain, complaining as they realized that the thing obviously wasn't hooked up.

Neither of them spotted the mesh of gray, black and white of Machibuse's costume against the back wall of the dimly lit corridor, the archer crouched low to the ground with his bow held diagonally.

The world slowed for a second. Machibuse felt his own heart beating as he pulled the drawstring meticulously.

In between one beat and the next he released the arrow.

" _Payload delivered."_

The two panicked. The shorter one because something tagged him with quite a bit of force on the side of his neck and the taller one simply panicked because his friend did so.

Both ran away when they failed to find the attacker. By the time they turned to look, Machibuse had already slipped behind the corner, watching his prey reflected on the window.

" _Thirty… twenty-nine… twenty-eight… maybe calling Shindo a viper was rather cynical of me. I am hunting these guys like a fucking rattlesnake… huh, maybe I should take that concept to Hatsume-san."_ Machibuse's thoughts drifted a little as he counted down.

Now it was a matter of waiting for his first target to succumb, the second one would be disposed off once things got too hard to handle.

The two ran up via the emergency ladder just outside the window, and Machibuse was quick to find an opening to climb after them.

Less than a minute later the target was already beginning to stumble around the walls of the cubicles that filled that floor.

" _No wonder that Shigaraki guy wanted you on his side, you can pull some real assassin shit when you want to."_

Machibuse suppressed a chuckle as Shinso's banter echoed in his mind. The Major wasn't really wrong, so yeah.

The sound of a very panicked cry following the thud of a body hitting the floor was his key to enter. In an instant he had levered himself inside the building and as the glass shattered around his entry point he spotted the enemy.

Machibuse dashed, hunched forward as to keep himself concealed behind the cubicles.

The remaining target, to his merit was stoutly defending his downed partner, but he was a second too late in whipping at the incoming foe with his crane-arm.

Machibuse dropped in a dive, sliding between the opponent's legs.

With a simple twisting motion he levered his shoulder into the back of his target's knee, forcing the surprised examinee to fall to one side.

Machibuse rolled over, continuing the pressure as he now shot to his feet and hooked his elbow under his target's arm, completely toppling the taller student against the cubicles and delivering a load of chemicals at the same time.

Now the rust colored examinee scrambled to get up, and by the time he was ready to counter he found that whoever just attacked him had completely vanished, leaving only the knocked-out speedster to be finished off later.

Machibuse stalked once more as his remaining target scurried to somewhere safe, a mock janitor's closet.

Once more Machibuse counted down.

In a moment he reached for the door, soft snoring coming from inside the closet.

One point down, now to return to the one he had left by the office…

It took less than a second, but Machibuse managed to kick the ground in time to vault over the incoming assailant and counter.

Now that sent a chill down his spine, been years since someone managed to sneak up on him like this.

His first target was still slumbering.

No, who stood in front of him was that girl from Shiketsu.

She managed to tag the target on his leg, but in return had been tagged on the shoulder. She eyed his with what felt like anger behind the mask she was putting on.

But more importantly, Machibuse felt _it_ from her: The sheer killing instinct. Like him, she was a closeted predator. And she was very good at hiding it… way too good.

"Who the fuck are you?" Machibuse tensed up, Chelicerae ready to spring as the two predators in the room stared each other down, waiting for the opportunity to seize the initiative.

No answer.

One of less stable cubicle wall fell to the side.

In an instant both disappeared from each other's sights.

Nothing moved inside that office, yet the tension of combat was enough to get someone nauseous. Two unseen giants that easily could be hiding behind each and every corner.

No… that wasn't combat, it felt more like a hunt.

Neither dared to make a real move, even in the stillness of that office the two could feel one another prodding for openings, trying to lure the opponent out.

"Camie? You in here?" a voice came from the other side of the floor. A mess of light brown hair with a Shiketsu cap.

Machibuse gritted his teeth, he needed to pull back. A pity he needed to leave one point behind, but it wasn't worth the risk.

He jumped through the window without even thinking. He was some eight stories above the street, but he quickly reached for the wire arrow on his arm as he crashed through the glass for the second time today.

He twisted the offshoot and pulled. Hatsume's last version of that baby had some added thickness at the beginning to the cable so he could wrap it around his arm without any danger.

Machibuse fired the arrow towards the closest building and immediately felt the tension as his momentum caused him to swing forward like a pendulum and land gripping the edge.

He and the mysterious girl he now knew as "Camie" exchanged one last look before he made his escape by dropping down onto a nearby emergency ladder.

" _Currently, fifty-six people have passed. Don't panic, but please do hurry and do your best."_ Mera once more announced just as Machibuse made it to a decent vantage point.

He took a deep breath to wind down from what just happened and resumed his task. He still needed one point.

Something zapped through the air, then another, and another…

Enemy sniper spotted. Providing suppressive fire against some unfortunate group stuck in a building on the other side of the street.

It was a good enough target.

With eyes peeled for the people from Shiketsu, Machibuse slowly descended to the ground level and crossed the street. It was a good sniper's nest, almost thirty stores tall and allowed for a wide range of coverage while being relatively hard to spot.

Allowing himself some manner of laziness, Machibuse took the elevator to the twenty-fifth floor. An enjoyable enough break that even had some good bossa nova for him to hum to. From there he resumed his careful approach towards the roof.

He could've taken the access stairs to reach the sniper, but it was easy to imagine that someone as dedicated to that art had left some sort of alarm by the door.

Climbing was the chosen method.

Bingo.

There she was, crouching by the edge of the roof.

" _Huh, didn't expect a sling…"_ Machibuse quirked an eyebrow as he watched his newfound target.

Apparently she was capable of firing some sort of energized marble-like projectile, taking her time on each shot before standing at ready for a while.

Whoever that girl was, she surely wasn't working alone. Not that it mattered.

Machibuse closed in.

The sniper suddenly snapped her head back, the dutiful sniper had left a mirror to keep an eye at her back.

The surprise was lost, but at this range it was hardly a deciding factor.

By the time the sniper managed to set her aim onto Machibuse he had already weaved to the side over and over.

She missed the first shot by a narrow margin, and her reload time was long enough for Machibuse to grab hold of the arm wielding the sling with one hand and her collar with the other.

The sniper was on the floor and immobilized in an instant, close combat clearly wasn't her strong suit.

Now it was just a matter of holding her down until she fell asleep.

Point.

The targets on Machibuse's body beeped and turned blue.

" _Those who have passed should go to the waiting room. Hurry."_ the device instructed, somewhat surprising the examinee. He took a moment to carry his fallen enemy towards the shade and made it for the elevator.

He had cleared the first hurdle.

Now it was just the matter of reaching the waiting room.

"Huh? Captain?" Jiro's voice came from the road just as Machibuse left the building he was in.

"Good to see that you all have passed." Machibuse responded, pleasantly surprised to see some familiar faces.

Jiro and Asui were carrying Yaoyorozu. Shoji followed right behind.

"We got trapped, but Yaomomo managed to get us out of it." Jiro gave a smirk.

"Please, this is not necessary…" Yaoyorozu spoke weakly.

Then it clicked, they were the ones the sniper had under fire.

"Feeling unwell?" Hakuba asked as he turned his attention towards Momo.

"Just tired, overused my Quirk… just need some help to get to the waiting room and something to eat." Momo waved off his concerns.

They were just about to resume walking towards their destination when it hit Jiro.

"Hey, Tsu-chan… I am feeling a little tired, aren't you?" Jiro asked with a devious grin.

Asui was quick to understand the plan.

"All that cold air sure got to me -gero" she responded, her tone unchanging despite the malice.

"Good thing we got the boys around to help." Jiro concluded.

"Huh?" both Hakuba and Momo took a second too long to understand what was going on.

"I guess I could help, but I don't really think it would be appropriate." Shoji gave the fakest shrug possible.

"Are you guys really doing this?" Machibuse pinched the bridge of his nose through his mask.

"Yes." the three responded in unison.

"And you better thank the heavens above that Mina isn't here as well." Jiro added.

Momo could only laugh as she watched Hakuba removing the quiver from his back and strapping it to his leg before turning around and motioning for her to hop on aboard as their three classmates left them behind.

Momo carefully wrapped her arms around his shoulders as Hakuba held her legs. Wasn't the first time he picked her up, but it was the first time he gave her a piggyback.

With an innocent smile she pulled down his hoodie and took the opportunity to nuzzle a little on his hair.

"You are enjoying this situation a lot more than you should." Hakuba stated flatly.

"Well, aren't you?" Momo teased back, cheeks now warm.

"Want me to drop you?"

He sounded tough, but Hakuba wasn't fooling anybody.

Yeah…

It was about time he began putting more effort into rebuilding that bridge.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Sheesh, that took a while to get out. Not even kidding, I've been sitting on about half this chapter since I began writing the previous one. Then everything changed when the fire nation attacked.**_

 _ **I was going to say something motivating about this situation I'm in. But even I am not that cynical.**_

 _ **See you guys soon*.**_


	44. Noteworthy

_**Hello there traveler, might I interest you in my wares?**_

-.

 **September 3rd, Tokyo, Dagoba National Arena, Waiting Room, 1440.**

The wait was finally over, all of Class 1-A was reunited after their success during the first stage of the exams. Hakuba had been sitting besides Momo to make sure she was fine, luckily the ones organizing everything had remembered to stock up on food and drinks for those that cleared the first hurdle so it was just a matter of letting the girl's appetite work it's magic.

They had arrived just ten minutes ago and Momo was already on her seventeenth steamed bun.

Perhaps all that food went to her chest. That would explain things.

" _Well, for all one hundred of you who passed the first test, please watch this."_ Mera's voice echoing across the waiting room got everyone to took up towards the large screen that now displayed a live feed from the test area.

"It's the field…" Midoriya mumbled as everyone got up to watch.

"I wonder what's going to happen?" Uraraka followed with a question.

For an instant nothing. One could've mistaken the stillness on the video for a pause.

Then a building exploded.

Then another.

Then the factory area.

Then the spiral mountains.

The whole arena was shaking, thundering roars rumbling from outside the walls of the waiting room.

A collective "Why!?" filled the room as the examinees watched in terror.

" _The next test will be the last one. We will have you all perform rescue exercises as bystanders on the site... We will assume that those of you who have passed the first test have already received your provisional licenses and test how well you can carry out suitable rescue procedures."_ Mera explained after the sound of destruction finally subdued.

"There are people in there." Shoji pointed out as the dust finally cleared on the feed.

"You mean to tell me that the other examinees were not evacuated prior to this?" Machibuse now perked up in attention. He had left three people unconscious, and surely there were many more.

"No! It's elderly and children! That's so dangerous! What are they doing there!?" Mineta cried out.

" _They are people who have undergone training to be professional people-in-need-of-rescue, and are in high demand right now… The Help Us Company, or H.U.C. for short!"_ Mera introduced the newcomers.

Machibuse's confused expression gave away that he was very much surprised to learn that such a profession actually existed.

"There are all sorts of jobs out there, huh?" Asui asked to no one in particular.

"It's one adapted to this world where heroes are so popular." Ojiro explained.

" _The people for H.U.C. have dressed up as injured victims and are now on standby throughout the disaster site. We will now have you all carry out their rescue. In addition, we will score you based on points and if you have more points than the benchmark by the end of the exercise, then you pass. We will start in ten minutes, so please use the bathroom and take care of any sort of necessary business right now."_ Mera concluded as the camera feed panned out before turning off.

Amongst the murmuring that now filled the room Machibuse was able to overhear Iida and Midoriya. This scenario was based on Kamino apparently, and that got a small knot in his throat.

He sat down once more, needing a moment to clear his mind.

A lot of people died as a result of the battle that happened because of the rescue effort.

And then Sero came with a large grin on his face, approaching Kaminari and Mineta who were by the seats just a few meters from where Machibuse was sitting. The words rated eighteen were heard clear enough.

" _Why do I even bother?"_ Machibuse sighed. At least that would get his mind away from Kamino.

"You know that bodysuit girl from Shiketsu over there?" Sero whispered, turning his eyes towards Camie.

"Yeah." Kaminari didn't waste a second.

"If you're just going to say that she is hot, that's not good enough. I've been watching her this whole time, and…" Mineta responded with a smug, lecherous grin.

" _Please, do try to approach her. This will be fun to watch."_ Machibuse now shifted his eyes towards the suspicious foe he had faced not too long ago.

"Well, I saw her completely naked in the shadows by the rocks. With Midoriya." Sero lit the proverbial fuse.

"MIDORIYA!"

Both Kaminari and Mineta now ran towards a very confused Deku, crying out their envy as Machibuse kept snapping his eyes back and forth between Midoriya and Camie. This was a most unexpected development.

Then it all came down when Camie waved towards Midoriya with a smile on her face.

"That's a greeting exchanged secretly by a man and a woman after they have progressed to a certain point in their relationship!" Mineta cried louder, displaying his vast knowledge of how romance worked… at least in porn.

"Oh, I see… It's because of Sero-kun… No, I'm telling you, that's how it is! It was because of her Quirk. Actually I didn't know what was going on, and it was super scary!" Midoriya tried to wiggle his way out of that accusation.

So her stealth had nothing to do with her Quirk it seemed.

"But you saw he naked, didn't you!?" Kaminari completely ignored the argument.

"W-well…" Midoriya stuttered.

"You saw, didn't you!?" Mineta was now freaking out as both of the accusers turned to look back towards Camie.

"She is still waving at you!" Kaminari now completely lost it, immediately turning back as he caught Midoriya by the shoulders and began his attempt at shaking the truth out.

"How far have you two gotten!?" Mineta continued the interrogation, the situation now making Uraraka visibly uncomfortable.

"Shiketsu is coming this way." Kirishima spoke, seemingly ignoring the ongoing chaos behind him.

Tension between Machibuse and Camie immediately shot up as the distance between them was reduced. A silent stare down of two predators now being pushed too close for comfort.

" _Just who the fuck are you?"_ Machibuse tensed up, ready to spring into combat as he watched Camie's movements closely.

Thankfully she left without any incidents after some dialoguing between the two schools to which Machibuse paid little attention, there were just too many people there. It was almost as if she had become an entirely different person.

Now which of the two Camies was the real one?

"Oh dear, you are acting disgraceful! What are you doing? We still have another test." Yaoyorozu's voice came from the side as she scolded Midoriya, Mineta and Kaminari.

"But…!" the latter two complained.

"We must focus properly!" Yaoyorozu cut them off, now it was not the time for that.

Her eyes happened to find Machibuse, who was still watching the Shiketsu girl walking away. He clearly wasn't just checking on her.

"Interested in her as well?" Yaoyorozu asked curiously, keeping a hushed tone to not draw any attention.

"I noticed something strange about that girl when we first met the group from Shiketsu, I can't shake off the feeling that I know her from somewhere. She is dangerous… very much so." Machibuse responded in a serious tone, eyes still following Camie.

"What do you mean?" Yaoyorozu quirked an eyebrow.

"Ten seconds." Machibuse changed the topic abruptly, now rising his voice to address all his classmates.

"Huh?"

The alarm rung.

" _Villains have begun a large-scale terrorist attack! All areas of "City Name Here" have been affected! Due to buildings collapsing there are many injured."_ Mera's voice once more echoed from the speakers.

"So that's the scenario for this exercise?" Asui was quick to understand what was happening.

"Huh? You mean…" Jiro turned surprised.

"It's starting." Asui nodded.

" _Due to heavily damaged roads, the first group of rescue workers have been delayed! Until they arrive, the heroes in the area will lead the rescue efforts… that's you guys. Save as many lives as you can."_ Mera explained further as now the room opened in similar fashion to how the previous waiting room did.

" _START!"_

All the one hundred examinees began running towards the disaster area.

"Let's start by going to the closest urban area! We'll work as a team as much as possible!" Iida lead the Class as they neared the area where Machibuse had gained his points.

Then Machibuse stopped as he realized something.

"Momo! Get me a radio! I am getting back towards the starting area so you can bring the injured to me for treatment! I will be on standby if you find someone that can't be moved without prior medical attention. Koda-san! I will be relying on your friends to guide me towards where I am needed!" Machibuse called out as he now turned his attention back towards the destroyed road he had just cleared.

Yaoyorozu wasted no time, immediately pulling a communication device from her stomach as Koda replied with a timid but certain nod.

The White Rider had a role to play.

-.

 **September 3rd, Tokyo, Dagoba National Arena, Stands, 1455.**

If anything the massive reduction in the number of examinees made the task of finding one specific face down in the arena much easier. And much do Aisawa's chagrin that made it easy for him to find most of his class moving as a closed platoon. This was not the time to stick to the people you knew.

"When it comes to saving lives, experience really makes a big difference." the teacher admitted as eyed the vast majority his students struggling with a single H.U.C. employee.

"It is their first real rescue work?" Fukukado asked curiously.

"Of course not. But it is their first time working alongside this many people from outside their group. They still lack the real-world experience from internships." Aisawa responded with mild relief now that he spotted his students getting into the game for good.

"That one at least is threading along just fine…" Fukukado pointed out as she leaned onto the seat in front of her, her eyes focusing on the hooded U.A. student that now joined her own class in the first aid effort.

"Fura likely has been mauling over what happened in Kamino, so I don't doubt that he studied that scenario specifically. I have made sure over the years that he learned how to not repeat mistakes." Machibuse Hakame explained as she got up, glancing quickly at her watch before turning towards the exit.

"Leaving already, Ma'am?" Fukukado asked.

"The main event should begin in a few minutes, but I have more important business to attend to." the elder responded dismissively.

"Main event?" both teachers asked simultaneously.

"You will see. Regardless, I expect that it should not be an issue for him… Eraser, inform me of Fura's final score once you are done in here. And get my in-law's as well while you are at it."

-.

 **September 3rd, Tokyo, Dagoba National Arena, 1500.**

"Someone get the guy from Ketsubutsu with the rocky blue skin! I need a cast done here pronto!"

"Right!"

The training with Recovery Girl was surely paying dividends, the team in charge of treating the more seriously wounded was as understaffed as it was to be expected. His first patient had been a young girl who came in unconscious; she had been found drenched in some unknown substance that spilled from a tank in the factory area. Some sampling gave it away that it was just an odd mixture of rubbing alcohol and liquid silicon that was pretty much harmless but felt nasty to touch. All the girl needed was something to kick her awake and a bath.

Machibuse's current patient was in a much worse situation: A woman in her late forties that someone had found under what was described to him as a "metric fuckload" of rubble.

"IT HURTS!" the woman shouted in pain. Her situation was far from good at first glance; large dark bruises and swelling gave away that she clearly had broken both legs.

Well, not really broken. Machibuse was quick to find out that the bruises were just make up and that woman had some kind of Quirk that allowed her to quite literally bend her bones, so they just _seemed_ broken. Talk about being born for the job you have…

Regardless, the woman from H.U.C. had been kind enough to break character for a moment to explain to the examinee that most of her colleagues were mostly just acting, while a couple of them, who had Quirks similar to hers, only appeared to be severely wounded. Those were "point bombs", civilians in critical state that would likely die as result of poor decisions made by those rescuing them. The two poor souls that brought her back to the first-aid station likely messed up pretty bad and would have a hard time recovering from it.

"PLEASE MAKE THE PAIN STOP!" the woman began screaming once more, now trashing desperately.

Machibuse took a deep breath as other examinees began looking, clearly thinking about how they could get that problem solved.

"I won't." Machibuse responded bluntly as he held the woman still for a moment.

"WHY!?" she cried.

"You are in a state of shock; the pain is what is keeping you awake for now. I can make the pain go away in a moment, but if I do it now your adrenaline levels will tank and you most likely will pass out from the sudden drop in blood pressure." Machibuse stated firmly.

That got the woman silent for an instant, that was the right call but now she was expecting his next move.

"You must have someone wanting to know if you are all right, and it wouldn't be good for them to find out that you are not responding. We can't have that, can we?" Machibuse allowed himself to chuckle as he remembered the grinding pain that kept him from passing out in Hosu. The worried expression on Kamihara's face that night wasn't what he wanted, but it would've been much worse if he had to be carried unconscious from that alley.

The patient just nodded reluctantly. At first she had her doubts about the teen in charge of her wounds, he seemed to serious, too cold… but that last comment hit the spot.

"Here, hold my hand and breath in slowly. I promise I will get you some good pain-killers once you calm down a little." Machibuse suggested, gently taking the woman's hand on his own.

That went for about a minute.

"You needed my help? Oh! it's the smoke bomb guy!" a voice came from behind. The student from Ketsubutsu had finally arrived.

"Thank you for coming. I saw that you have a Quirk that can harden things, is it possible for you to make a cast or brace for her legs so she can be moved safely? I imagine she is high on the priority list for the helicopter." Machibuse nodded lightly as a greeting as he explained the situation.

"Huh, good thinking. Let me just get something that I can warp around her legs… we got plenty of people here running around with capes, so that shouldn't take long." the newcomer responded, quickly turning on heel to acquire what was needed.

"…I don't actually need to inject you with pain-killers, right?" Machibuse leaned in, whispering the question to his patient.

"Huh… no, it's fine. You are doing a good job so let's just assume that you gave me the pain-killers now that I calmed down." the H.U.C. woman responded, breaking character once more.

Machibuse was still somewhat weirded out about the whole professional people-in-need-of-rescue thing, but the guys surely were serious about their acting.

Didn't take long for the Ketsubutsu student, who Machibuse now knew as Makabe Shikkui, to come back with two bright colored capes rolled under his arm and in minutes both students had the woman's wounded legs secured firmly in the impromptu casts.

Just as they were about to finish their work the radio in Machibuse's pocket began ringing.

"Roger." he quickly picked up and responded.

" _Hey, Machibuse! We got a big one here by the forest and we need you here fast!"_ Ashido's voice came through, sounding pretty concerned. Apparently Momo had given out more radios.

"Go on, I can finish things up here and move her to the helipad." Makabe gave a firm nod.

"Very well, I leave her in your care." Machibuse responded, excusing himself with a short bow towards the woman he had been helping up until now.

"What is the situation? I will see if someone in here can get me to your position ASAP. Roger." Machibuse responded on the radio, his voice purposefully louder than usual as to draw the attention from the other examinees in the vicinity.

One of the Shiketsu students, the one covered in hair was quick to rise his hand to offer help.

" _It's a guy about our age, stuck under a tree. There is quite a lot of blood underneath him, he says a branch pierced his stomach so we are not moving him yet."_ Ashido explained, pained groans coming from the background.

"Make sure that you support the trunk so he can breathe. I seem to have found my transport, so get something to signal your location and get Iida-san to come as well, we are going to need his speed after I am done. Out." Machibuse responded before hanging up and turning to speak with his help.

"You said you needed someone to get you to the forest, is that correct right?" the Shiketsu student politely asked.

"Affirmative." Machibuse responded.

"Inasa! On the job! I will deal with clearing that rubble for you so make sure this one reaches the forest as fast as possible!" the tone shifted to one of authority, apparently that one was the leader of the Shiketsu group.

"YES SENPAI!" Yoarashi Inasa immediately responded to the call, landing in a pose near the duo.

"It's you! I was cheering for you at the Sports Festival!" Yoarashi quickly bowed, his head leaving an imprint on the ground.

"…Thank you?" Machibuse blinked twice in confusion.

"I will get you to where you need to be faster than your attack against Endeavor's son during the opening race!" Yoarashi exclaimed, way too enthusiastic for Machibuse's liking.

At first it was a soft breeze, then seconds later the wind ramped up in force, almost lifting Machibuse off the floor.

Almost.

"I apologize." Machibuse spoke as he retracted the Chelicerae on his feet that were anchoring him into the stone floor.

He was now flying besides Yoarashi. And he wasn't enjoying the ride… If anything it was going to be a short trip, in less than three minutes he was sight of the forest area and of the cluster of birds that circled around over a clearing in the leaves.

"Target located." Machibuse informed, doing his best to keep his cool about the lack of solid ground for him to stand on.

"THEN GO SAVE THAT YOUNG MAN WITH YOUR PASSION!" Yoarashi shouted as he swung his arm hard towards the clearing, the whirlwind now hurling Machibuse towards the floor.

He was about to smash into the grass, then the wind tunnel shifted upwards, slowing his fall to a gentle landing.

"You can fly!?" Ashido shouted in surprise.

"Be very thankful that we do not have a need to deal with Yoarashi-san on a daily basis." Machibuse responded, his heart still beating a little too fast for his liking.

No time for that. That fellow had already lost enough blood.

Ashido apparently had melted down most of the trunk, now all that remained was the piece immediately over the H.U.C. point bomb, firmly being held in place by Ojiro, Koda and Dark Shadow.

"Sir! You can hear me, yes?" Machibuse began the examination.

The boy only nodded in response, apparently unable to talk anymore.

"Very well. I will ask you some questions, blink once for "yes" and twice for "no"." Machibuse instructed, now reaching for the device Hatsume had built for his pills. In a moment he had already downed the chemicals he needed for the job.

"Can you feel your legs?" Machibuse began, following with a question about how long the man had been trapped there and other standard information he was going to need.

By the time he finished the check up Iida had arrived as well.

"We can begin the extraction now. Sir, my friends are going to lift the trunk, then I am going to clear your wound of any alien materials before suturing and bandaging it. Afterwards, Ingenium over there will get you to the rescue outpost a few minutes from here. I am about to give you a dose of chemicals to make sure you will not feel a thing. This will also control your bleeding and help your body fight any possible infections." Machibuse explained the situation as people began getting into position.

Then Machibuse stopped, realizing that something was off.

"…You are not really wounded, is that correct? Just so that I don't actually inject any drugs into your system." he asked in a hushed tone. This fake rescue was still not sitting right in his head.

"Huh… you have found one of the point bombs already? All this blood is actually syrup and red dye. And my Quirk allows me to make holes into my body, so, yeah… I'm okay." the H.U.C. man responded, mildly surprised.

"That's a thing?" Ojiro asked, the group's immersion now broken for a moment.

"Regardless, we should proceed with the extraction. This is meant to be the real deal." Tokoyami pointed out.

The boy took a deep breath, and soon was back in character.

He looked nervous about what was about to happen.

Well, not surprising really, he likely was the single most "wounded" member of H.U.C. personnel in the exam.

"Here, let me help with that!" Ashido gave a bright smile as she kneeled down besides the young man's head and placed it on her lap.

Well, that surely was effective encouragement.

"On three." Iida cleared his throat and also braced to lift the trunk.

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

Machibuse quickly dropped down and began the required procedures. The fake wound was pretty convincing actually, bits of wood peppered into the silicone-like sticker that lined the cavity created by the boy's Quirk. If anything that wound was a little too big to be real, and that boy would've been dead long before anyone was able to find him.

Then multiple explosions rocked the arena.

" _There has been a large-scale terrorist attack by villains. The villains have appeared and started their pursuit! Hero candidates at the scene should continue their rescue efforts while suppressing the villains."_ once again Mera's voice filled the air. That exam was surely something.

"Villains!?" Ashido was taken aback.

"Iida-san, I will need you here to make sure he makes it in time. Everyone else, you should go help there." Machibuse suggested as he hurried to stitch the silicon. Not that the stitching did anything, but the H.U.C. guy was doing his part and unmaking the hole created by his Quirk to make it seem like the wound was being closed.

"Right!" Ojiro, Koda and Tokoyami were quick to begin moving.

Ashido slowly got up and left just behind them, much the the boy's dismay.

Battle raged on for a couple of minutes, a large column of flames now visible over the tree line.

Iida now had the wounded boy on his back and in an instant he was gone.

And Machibuse still had to make it to the battlefield where he was needed.

-.

 **September 3rd, Tokyo, Dagoba National Arena, 1600.**

Machibuse never made it to the battlefield. Or rather, he never made it in time.

If anything he managed to reach the site before the terrorist villains left, which was good since apparently Gang Orca was the villain boss and Machibuse managed to take the opportunity to thank the number ten hero for helping on his rescue at Kamino.

By now all one hundred students had returned to the mostly destroyed arena, but not in their hero costumes; they had been given time to rest up, change back into their school uniforms and even get something to eat or drink while the staff from the Heroes Public Safety Commission tallied the scores.

Mood amongst the hopefuls wasn't exactly stellar as they stood before the stage where Mera waited.

"Okay… Everyone, thanks for your hard work… Now I will announce the results, but before that let me tell you all about the scoring system. Between those of us from the Heroes Public Safety Commission and the H.U.C., we had a two-fold demerit system we used while watching you. In other words, we were evaluating you on how few mistakes you made in that crisis situation." Mera explained tiredly.

There was a brief pause in his speech, tension was at an all-time high after the grading method was made public and people began counting their mistakes.

Machibuse quirked an eyebrow as he ran the events of the test back inside his head.

"Anyway, all the names of those who passed are listed in here, syllabary order. Please check the list and keep those words in mind." Mera finally gave away the results, the large screen behind him now listing a total of eighty-nine names.

" _Mission completed."_ Machibuse thought to himself as he spotted his name in screen. He couldn't help but relax his shoulders in a relieved sigh.

Cheers erupted across the examinees.

Well, at least most of them were successful.

Bakugo and Todoroki were missing from the list.

"Todoroki!" Yoarashi called out as he approached before once again striking the ground with his head as he bowed apologetically.

"It is my fault that you didn't pass! It's because I was too narrow-minded! I'm sorry!" Yoarashi spoke in a mildly pained tone. From what Machibuse had been told, Todoroki and Yoarashi began fighting over something during the final moments of the exam, and that likely demerited both of them into failure.

His name was also absent from the list. That "Camie" girl's was also not in there… in fact she wasn't even present.

"I started it in the first place. Don't worry about it." Todoroki responded, a melancholic semblance over him.

"But…!" Yoarashi protested.

"There were things I realized thanks to you confronting me directly, too." Todoroki added.

"Our top two failed…" Sero pointed out surprised as now Kaminari and Mineta began their usual sequences of bad decisions. Taunting definitely wasn't appropriate right now.

"Um, next we will pass on your individual results. They have a breakdown of your scores, so please look over them carefully." Mera informed as the staff members now began handing out sheets of paper with details over each student's performances.

One by one the successful members of Class 1-A received their results eagerly. The two who failed weren't so energetic.

"Machibuse-kun, congratulations." one of the men in charge of handing out the paperwork approached Machibuse and handed out his sheet.

The teen just glanced over the results before neatly folding the paper and storing it in his pocket.

"Thank you for your hard work." Machibuse responded, bowing in respect.

"The cutoff score was fifty points. And based on our demerit system you can what actions resulted in a loss of points for you. Everything is on the printouts." Mera explained.

"Sixty-one… I barely passed…" Ojiro gulped in surprise.

"I got eighty-four! Look, isn't that amazing? I'm kind of good at this!" Sero began bragging.

"W-wait! Yaomomo, you just got a ninety-four!?" Jiro shouted dumbfounded as Yaoyorozu just smiled brightly about her result.

"I expected you to do well." Hakuba offered as he approached to take a peek at the prized sheet of paper.

"I did some mistakes at the beginning of the test, but I corrected them in time. What about you?" Momo asked, noticing how Hakuba had already stored his results.

"Nothing noteworthy, I suppose." Hakuba gave a small shrug.

"Oh, come on." Momo pushed for a less vague response.

Then Mera interrupted before Hakuba could respond to that.

"Those of you who passed may now, during emergency situations, exercise the same amount of authority as that of pro heroes. In other words, fighting villains, saving people from criminal acts and accidents… You may now act according to your own judgment in those situations even without the direction of a hero. However, keep in mind that each and every one of your actions carries with it responsibility towards society. I'm sure you all know that the great hero, All Might, has used up all his power. His existence alone played a large part in suppressing crime. And now, with that deterrent gone, impudent people will certainly appear. The balance will be tilted and the world will change greatly, you young people will now be at the center of this new society. You all must strive to become great heroes, great enough to suppress crime by yourselves. This time, all you have received is your provisional hero license to perform hero activities. Think of yourselves as fledglings and double down your efforts…" his final statement was surely a strong one. The stakes were risen once more.

"…And for you who didn't pass, there is no time to feel dejected about points. There is still a chance for you. After you attend a three month long special course and pass an individual test, we plan on issuing provisional licenses for you as well. We are going to need as many good heroes as we can in order to build this future I spoke of. That is why even after you dropped bellow the cutoff point we kept an eye out for you. Now it is just a matter of correcting your mistakes… just keep in mind that the course will keep you guys pretty busy." Mera added. Words of hope for those who got so far and fell so short.

"We will be waiting for you, Todoroki-kun." Iida offered.

It was good to know that it wouldn't take long for Class 1-A to be on the same track once more.

-.

 **September 3rd, Tokyo, Dagoba National Arena, Entrance, 1700.**

It was time to head home. Dinner still had to be cooked and Machibuse had some good ideas in mind to celebrate, but the narrow scheduling would make things hard to fit.

"Aaaahh…" Midoriya was on the verge of tears as he looked at his hero license.

"Deku-kun… are you crying?" Uraraka asked surprised as the very peculiar sound Midoriya just emitted caught her attention.

"Well… you know… I was helped by so many, and caused trouble for so many… So, this is proof that I've matured and it makes me so happy." Midoriya admitted, fumbling with his words a little.

" _A proof of maturity, huh…"_ that idea echoed in Machibuse's head for an instant. It felt nice.

Then it all crashed down as Midoriya began spamming someone with photos of his license. Very mature indeed.

"Well, when in Rome…" Hakuba closed his eyes for a moment and took a single picture of the license he was given.

"Color me surprised." Momo observed the rare scene.

"Kamihara-san would like to see this, I suppose." Hakuba admitted with a small smile.

"Not going to send it to your grandmother?" Momo asked, very much happy to see him like this.

"She doesn't even care about this, we both know it…" Hakuba responded, that smile feeling much more melancholic now.

That got a short silence going between the two. Uncomfortable, but enough for Machibuse to overhear Midoriya speaking with that hairy fellow from Shiketsu. Camie had gone home early, and her behavior had been odd for the last few days…

This surely felt as something much bigger.

-.

 **Ninety Minutes Ago,** **September 3rd,** **Maximum Security Prison For Villain Criminals – Tartarus, S-Rank Row, 1530.**

 _The doors slid open revealing what was likely one of the most heavily guarded locations in the world._

 _Bound to a chair that kept him alive was the Symbol of Evil, sporting a large smile on his disfigured face. Every twitch of his body monitored by an impossible amount of sensors, gun barrels pointed at his vitals were ready to fire, bullet-proof glass as thick as a man's fist and walls so strong they could withstand tank shells at point blank isolated him from the world._

 _Despite all that, he smiled._

" _Oh my! How much more can you pamper me? Such a nice visit… All Might and the Witch of Okinawa! At the same time even!" All For One teased, completely unaffected by his position._

 _Machibuse Hakame had little patience for those games._

" _Talk."_

-.

 **Present Time,** **September 3rd,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 2025.**

Class 1-A somehow still had energy, but at least for tonight they were free to do as they pleased, and chatting was a fine enough way to close their first summer together.

"School is already back on tomorrow, huh?" Jiro complained tiredly.

"There is no rest for heroes, right?" Yaoyorozu offered some comfort.

"It appears to be this way, unfortunately. Regardless, dinner will be served in eighteen hundred seconds. I believe that the jushi rice should be to everyone's taste. I would have preferred to go for something fancier given that we are to celebrate today, but you can imagine that time wasn't as plentiful today. I had to settle for something more homely." Machibuse informed as he removed his apron and joined his classmates in the common area, mildly disappointed.

"You know that you don't need to get us a banquet every night, right?" Kirishima offered with an easygoing grin.

"Shh, don't tell the Captain that or he might get lazy!" Sero joked as he peeked inside the kitchen, very much interested in what Machibuse called "homely" food.

"If it eases your worries, the sorbet should be done freezing by the time we finish dinning." Machibuse went along with the joke.

"You serious?... Shit, you are serious. Oy, Yaomomo! Control your boyfriend! I'm pretty sure he is hitting on me!" Sero called out as he and a few others rushed to the fridge to see what that was all about.

There was a split-second where no one dared to talk as Machibuse and Yaoyorozu looked at each other. Things were about to get really awkward once more…

"Sero-san, please… I think that everyone here knows that I am is not that subtle." Machibuse took a crack at himself.

Both of Machibuse and Yaoyorozu laughed briefly as silence soon filled the common area.

"Did that just happen? How did that happen? Why? WHEN!?" Ashido asked out loud. She needed to know.

"Think of it as a bridge building exercise, Ashido-san." Machibuse just shook his head and returned to his usual blank expression before turning back towards the kitchen.

"DON'T YOU DARE LEAVE LIKE THAT!" Ashido shouted as she rushed to her feet.

Machibuse however blocked her voice, instead focusing on Bakugo whispering something to Midoriya, who was standing in the middle of the corridor.

"Let's have a talk about your Quirk." Bakugo pretty much ordered, and Midoriya was left stunned.

On that evening Machibuse succumbed to his appetite for easy intel, Midoriya's Quirk had always been a mystery to him.

He quietly followed Midoriya and Bakugo to the site of their first battle at Ground Beta.

He felt the pain behind Bakugo's words.

He witnessed their fight.

He overheard All Might's words.

Machibuse Hakuba…

On that evening Machibuse Hakuba learned about the secret of One For All.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Ah yes, more things being set up. I assume that this is the reason you guys come back…**_

 _ **Anyways, good news: Things are starting to fall back into place, next chapter should be up by the end on the month. More importantly, Season 4 is just over the horizon, and that means more material for me to play with. I already have most of what I want to do drafted, but who knows if we get some extra sauce when the anime drops.**_

 _ **On non-MHA news: I have been drafting something besides this story for a change, helps me flush my ideas out. I have a lot of time to plot things out, my constraints are mostly on time to actually sit down and write shit properly. This story is my main focus for the foreseeable future, so don't worry about that causing delays, just stay tuned for the possibility of something new popping up after October.**_

 _ **Till next time.**_


	45. The Power of Those Ahead

_**Well, fuck me... 100k views and 400+ followers!**_

 _ **I had the weirdest fucking week, gotta tell you guys. Ended up taking care of a freaking seagull that crashed into my window. That fellow is now healthy and off to steal food and shit on people once more.**_

 _ **This chapter is dedicated to you Magellan, you feathery bastard.**_

-.

 **September 4th,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 0835.**

"WHAT!?"

Class 1-A didn't take in stride the news of the fight between Midoriya and Bakugo and the subsequent house arrest that was imposed upon the two.

"You guys are so dumb!"

"Absolute nonsense…"

"The pinnacle of stupidity."

Yes, the two deserved being berated like that, but it wasn't doing anyone any favors. And besides, those events changed things for more people than just those two.

"Let us pick on them afterwards, yes? It makes my job that much harder when the patient is recoiling from everything." Machibuse commented as he reapplied the bandages on Midoriya's freckled face. Apparently both him and Bakugo had been forbidden from asking Recovery Girl for help and had to patch themselves up… and given how poorly the previous' bandages had been placed it seemed that they had not bothered with one helping the other, rather relying on eyeballing it on the mirror.

"Thank you, Machibuse-san but… won't you end up in trouble by helping us? Aisawa-sensei said that we were supposed to deal with these wounds ourselves…" Midoriya asked, mildly uncomfortable as Machibuse lifted his shirt to have a look at the large bruise on the right side of his ribcage, where Bakugo had delivered quite a massive punch during their fight.

"It is my responsibility to keep all of you in good shape, so I am more worried about not fulfilling my duties than about what Aisawa-sensei has to say about it. And besides, the two of you made a mess of the first-aid kit, so it is better that I not leave you to it." Machibuse responded as he lightly prodded the wounded area with his fingers to gage the damage before springing the Chelicerae in one of his hands.

"Ugh…" Midoriya looked away nervously as his muscles instinctively recoiled from the quick sting. His nervousness however had more to do with the whole first-aid kit situation than with the injection, he and Bakugo had only found one of the boxes when they arrived and both of them were too banged up to store the contents properly once used.

"You may feel a little lightheaded for the next few minutes, but this should help with the pain. I will get you another shot before dinner, but please inform me if you need a third one to sleep." Machibuse explained as he allowed his patient to continue his activities. His attention now turned to Bakugo, who was angrily vacuuming the carpet as people continued to make fun of his house arrest.

"R-right, thanks…" Midoriya responded as he quickly adjusted his shirt.

Then he realized something very strange.

How did Machibuse knew about his ribs?

Midoriya quickly turned towards the resident medic of Class 1-A, but, before he managed to ask anything, Uraraka and Iida came to speak with him.

Just how?

"Get away from me, Pinprick... I don't need your help." Bakugo scoffed as he turned away.

"I must admit your bandaging skills are much better than Midoriya-san's, but at least let me have a look at your arms. Suppose you wouldn't want to have scars from a brawl with "shitty Deku", isn't that the case?" Machibuse offered, knowing just which buttons to push to get Bakugo riled up.

Bakugo gritted his teeth.

"S-SHUT UP! I'M NOT HAVING ANY MORE OF THAT SHIT YOU STAB PEOPLE WITH!" he shouted, now pointing the vacuum cleaner threateningly towards Machibuse.

"Hakuba, it's time already!" Yaoyorozu called out from the doorway as the remaining of Class 1-A now began leaving the building.

"Very well… I will just store the first-aid kit and catch up with you in an instant." Machibuse sighed, calmly prying his dog tags from inside the plastic tube that had just sucked them in before turning towards the white and red box of medical supplies.

After a moment and some more well-deserved jabs towards the whole house arrest situation, it was just Midoriya, Bakugo and Machibuse left inside the building.

It was just the sound of the vacuums as Machibuse made his way towards the kitchen, where the kit he had been using normally was stored.

He could feel Midoriya's eyes following him. The greenhead had taken the hint quicker than expected. After about a minute Machibuse finished organizing the contents of the first-aid kit and was just about to leave. He took a deep breath as he exited the kitchen, it wouldn't be wise to just leave that tension unattended to build up.

"Bakugo-san, you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened in Kamino. If anything, that is a burden we are to share." Machibuse offered in a solemn tone as he reached for the door.

Both Bakugo and Midoriya froze completely.

"You two are keeping my secret, so please rest assured that the conversation about One For All is something I will guard with the same care. And please try not to get followed next time, there are people in U.A. who are much less invested in keeping things away from prying eyes than I am."

-.

 **September 4th,** **U.A. Highschool Main Building, 0850.**

Today was going to be a short one if anything, just some sort of opening ceremony: A few words from the teachers, more than a few words from Principal Nezu… Machibuse needed to have some words with said rat-dog-bear-whatever, apparently he was in All Might's secret and something about that story was still bothering the teen.

Following the ceremony it was just the matter of receiving the semester briefing from Aisawa. That likely was going to be a rather quick conversation, given how the homeroom teacher liked to keep things short. After that the students would be released to enjoy the last few hours of the last day before classes resumed.

"Listen everyone! Stay in line and move promptly to the grounds!" Iida ordered, moving his arms frantically as to guide the class he led… something rather unnecessary given that the corridor they were currently traversing was pretty much a straight shot.

"You are the only one not standing in line." Sero pointed out just to spite the class president.

Up until now it was nothing out of the ordinary for Class 1-A.

Then Machibuse spotted Monoma standing in their way… god damnit…

"So… I heard that the mighty Class A… had two people failing the provisional licensing exam! TWO PEOPLE!" Monoma taunted, his face giving away that he had been keeping himself from doing this since yesterday.

"Monoma-san, good morning." Machibuse just ignored the outburst. Kendo was close enough, so that was a problem that was going to solve itself.

"Class B's Monoma!" Sero was taken aback.

"He is as crazy as usual…" Kaminari observed.

"So, you were the only one to fail again? Like with the finals?" Kirishima closed in, unfortunately falling for the trap.

Monoma's expression gave it all away.

Soon enough the remainder of Class 1-B arrived, most of them likely unaware of whatever Monona was trying to pull.

"Everyone in Class B passed! We've pulled ahead of you, Class A." he proclaimed triumphantly.

"Sorry… everyone…" Todoroki immediately lowered his head in shame.

"They're turning it into a competition on their own… don't worry about it!" Kirishima was quick to offer some solace.

"I assume your timing for this comment has to do with the fact that Bakugo-san is not present at the moment." Machibuse proposed, now greeting the people from the class across the corridor.

"Hardly… but I have to ask you, where is that troublemaker?" Monoma dismissed the observation.

"You will likely learn soon enough." Machibuse avoided answering, there was no need to give Monoma any more ammo right now.

"Well, I might come back to ask you again later on if that's not the case… but please. excuse me for a moment." Monoma sighed as he turned to whispering something in Pony's ears.

"The two of you get disturbingly well sometimes…" Yaoyorozu approached as she watched wearily as the foreign exchange student innocently repeated some abomination of a diss Monoma had just taught her.

"Permission to break protocol?" Machibuse asked.

"Go on…" Momo rolled her eyes.

"I suppose we lowlifes end up sticking to one another… get me and him on a box with both Shinso-san and Hatsume-san; suppose we could topple the government of a small country in a few weeks with the kind of shit we come up." Hakuba told as he watched Kendo doing god's work and knocking Monoma out.

"To think I fell in love with you…" Momo sighed heavily in defeat.

"Hey, we are trying to get through back here." a familiar voice came from the corridor.

"Speak of the devil." Machibuse commented as he stepped back into his protocol.

"I'm sorry! Come on everyone, save the chitchat for later! You are causing problems for other people!" Iida panicked as he realized that the classes from the hero course were blocking the path.

"You guys are too lame to be on the top." Shinso spoke bluntly as he made his way, a large group of General Studies students alongside him.

"Shinso-san, good morning." Machibuse greeted.

"Hey." Shinso greeted back as he threaded along. Then he made a short pause in his stride and gave a confused look towards both Machibuse and Yaoyorozu for a second as he tried to piece together if those two had broken up or not.

Then Shinso decided that it was not worth the trouble and moved on.

Little did he knew that Ashido's overly romantic mind was scrambling for a similar reason as those last words from Yaoyorozu's mouth echoed loudly in her mind.

Soon enough they were all standing in rank and file at the school training grounds, where a small stage had been set up for today. Everyone braced for the barrage of words as their eyes followed the diminutive principal taking his place in front of the microphone… and began spewing nonsense about how minor disruptions in his lifestyle affected his fur.

Then Nezu used the that to take a sudden turn in his speech.

"The cause for this disturbance in lifestyle are the incident that happened during this summer. I'm positive you all know… The loss of a pillar. The effects of this incident have appeared much faster than I ever imagined. There will probably be chaos in society soon. Great chaos indeed. In particular, this will be more apparent to those of you in the Hero Course as you must now approach the out of school activities, such as the internships that mainly second and third year students participate in, with a sense of caution much greater than before." The Principal explained.

"Internships?" Ashido asked in a hushed tone.

"Is it the next level of that hero workplace experience?" Asui pondered in response.

Machibuse quirked an eyebrow, now scanning the crowd for his senior and eventual morning run partner.

If anything, Togata was pretty easy to find in a crowd.

Principal Nezu continued his speech, but at least now the words felt like they had a good purpose behind them. After precisely two minutes the small mammal stepped away from the orator's spot in the stage, leaving Vlad King to make the intermission.

"And now, we have a few warnings from the non-curricular guidance teacher, Hound Dog-sensei." Class 1-B's homeroom teacher spoke before motioning for the savage figure behind him to come to take up the microphone.

"Grrr…! Yesterday…! At the dorms! Unused… to life! GRRR! WOOOOOO!" Hound Dog growled at the crowd, not exactly explaining anything before turning his back and leaving.

"You see… There were students fighting in the campus last night. Hound Dog-sensei means to tell you to take this new life here in the dorms with moderation." Vlad King kindly translated.

Monoma just cranked his neck towards Machibuse, a disturbingly delighted expression on his face.

-.

 **September 4th,** **U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 1015.**

"Well then, we are officially back. A lot has happened, but you'll now need to switch gears and focus on your duty as students. We'll be starting off light today, but this semester will be much harsher than the previous one." Aisawa took his own opening statement as he eyed the incomplete class in front of him.

"He is not talking about it…" Ashido turned towards Asui, apparently to pick up their conversation from back during the ceremony once more.

"What is it, Ashido?" Aisawa glared at the pink skinned student, his hair flaring up menacingly.

"I haven't felt this in a while!" Ashido squirmed, but thankfully Asui intervened.

"I wanted to ask a question. Can you tell us about those "interships" that the Principal brought up earlier today?" the frog girl rose her hand as she spoke.

"Oh yeah, he said something about that." Sero commented curiously.

"I was wondering about the same, as well." Tokoyami responded.

"The Principal said it was something that our upperclassmen were involved." Yaoyorozu now added to the question.

Aisawa sighed.

"I was planning on talking about it at a later date, but… I guess that telling you guys now is the logical choice. To put it simply, those are hero activities that take place outside of the school. Like the week you had with the pros… but much closer to the real thing." the teacher explained.

"Oh. So there was a system like that?...THEN WHY DID I WORK SO HARD AT THE SPORTS FESTIVAL!?" Uraraka shouted in a mix of anguish and shock, causing both Iida and Machibuse to jump in their seats.

That was a close call, Machibuse almost tore a bunch of holes in his uniform.

"That's true… If we have work studies, then why even those who didn't get scouted after the festival had a path open?" Iida asked after a brief second to get his pulse back to normal levels.

"The work you previously did with the pros serve as an opportunity for you to gain connections, which you will find very important in order to find an internship to your liking. The internships are an activity to be done at the discretion of the student, especially for you guys at the first year. Ruling out that performed really well at the Sports Festival, those without any connections would never get any chances at an internship. This is why we set up the system this way." Aisawa responded to the sudden outburst.

"I understand. Sorry for jumping to conclusions…" Uraraka lowered her head as she sat down.

"Now that you have your provisional licenses, you can assist in more real ways for longer periods of time. But there weren't many cases where first years have received their provisional licenses. With the increase in villain activity, we are currently thinking seriously about whether or not you should participate. We got our own circumstances to consider, so we will be coming back to this topic at a later date… For now, good work for receiving your provisional licenses. Machibuse, Yaoyorozu; keep up." the teacher concluded, now calling Present Mic inside, it was time for English class.

"It does feel rather odd to be praised by Aisawa-sensei." Machibuse commented, flinching for an instant as Present Mic's voice filled the air.

"Well, we worked hard for it." Yaoyorozu responded elegantly.

Then something clicked for everyone inside the heads of everyone just as their English teacher graced them with a rare moment of silence, just humming to himself as he began scribing on the blackboard.

They all knew that Yaoyorozu had managed to score a ninety-four out of a hundred during the provisional license exam. But no one actually knew about Machibuse's score.

He had simply stated that there wasn't anything noteworthy about it.

"Hakuba, hust how high did you score?" Momo asked.

Machibuse simply fished his wallet from his pocket and picked up a neatly folded sheet of paper. The point deduction breakdown he had been handed after the exam.

The main body of the document was completely blank. As was the teen's expression.

A perfect one hundred.

"You were all speaking about why you lost points… Mine came out clear, so I had nothing to add to the conversation." Machibuse explained naturally. The test was built just the right way to play to his strengths, so acing it was merely an obligation.

"WHAT!?" the remainder of Class 1-A seemed to disagree however.

Present Mic was for once not the loudest thing in class.

-.

 **September 4th,** **U.A. Main Building, Principal's Office, 1700.**

"Come in!"

Machibuse took a deep breath and pushed the fancy wooden door he just had knocked on.

"Machibuse-san! Congratulations on your success yesterday! Now, how can your principal help you?" Nezu spoke, apparently in high spirits.

"Just following orders, Sir." Machibuse bowed as he greeted the head of U.A..

"Give yourself some credit… here, sit down and have some tea." The Principal chuckled a little as he poured a cup for his student.

"So, what is it that brings you here?" he asked again as Machibuse picked up the cup with care.

The teen took a long sip before pausing to think.

"Does my grandmother know about One For All?" Machibuse decided to not skirt around, that question had been stuck on his mind since he heard the truth from All Might.

"Mind if I ask how you came across that before answering?" Nezu's tone shifted slightly.

"The fight between Midoriya-san and Bakugo-san. I followed them to Ground Beta without their knowledge and when All Might-sensei stepped in to stop them I ended up overhearing everything." Machibuse explained as he stared down at his murky reflection on the tea.

"You must be aware that I have spoken with the Hero Killer on more than one occasion. Chizome-san told me that my grandmother has been questioning All For One." he added, Principal Nezu was far too smart to be satisfied with half and answer.

"And you take that the power Midoriya-san inherited might be the reason for this interrogation." Principal Nezu concluded.

"I can say for sure that Shigaraki Tomura wasn't involved with the attack on the Murakumo. But All For One casts a much larger shadow, and, as far as I know, we lack leverage to force any answers out from him." Machibuse explained his reasoning.

Principal Nezu nodded absently-minded as he spun his chair around, his beady black eyes focusing on the orange painted sky.

"Machibuse Hakame may have already figured everything out, I can confirm that she has met with All Might's predecessor, but strictly speaking she does not know the truth. I will talk with All Might over the next couple of days, I suppose that he should agree about letting your grandmother into the secret… I cannot promise you anything however, this is All Might's secret after all."

"My gratitude, Principal. The tea was excellent."

-.

 **September 7th,** **U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 0855.**

"I'M SORRY FOR ALL THE TROUBLE I CAUSED!"

Midoriya's house arrest had finally ended. And as it seemed, Deku had learned much from his punishment. Being bared from knowing about anything regarding the second semester, and most importantly about the internships, had been visibly eating him alive for the last few days.

"Deku-kun, thanks for all your hard work!" Uraraka responded excitedly.

""Hard work"? Why does he look so angry, anyway?" Jiro was taken aback by the display in front of her.

"IIDA-KUN, I'M SORRY FOR DISAPOINTING YOU!" Midoriya continued, each breath a heavy huff.

"Right… I'm just glad you know what you did wrong. But what's the matter?" Iida responded, doing his best to not weaver as he sweated bullets.

"I'M GOING TO CATCH UP WITH EVERYTHING I FELL BEHIND IN THESE PAST THREE DAYS!" Midoriya still shouted, his wonderfully angry expressions much more fitting of the other half of the fight he took part on.

"Oh, that's great! I love stuff like that!" Kirishima cheered on.

Midoriya was about to turn towards Machibuse, surely something about the help with his wounds, but Aisawa's threatening aura coming through the door was more than enough to send everyone to their seats without a sound.

"Morning. Now that Midoriya is back, we'll go into more details about the internships. Please come in." Aisawa began homeroom, now turning his attention to the door.

Three people came in. Students.

"We'll have people who experienced it first hand tell you about how different these are from what you have done before. Listen carefully. They are the three third years at U.A. who stand at the top of all other students… Also known as "The Big Three"." Aisawa explained as the trio stopped by his side.

The first one was a tall male with pointy ears and indigo-colored hair, hunched over with his hands deep into his pockets. Machibuse had seen that one before with Togata at the gym where he normally sparred with Kendo.

The one standing in the middle was one very interesting looking girl, blue eyes filled with curiosity, a smile to conquer any heart and long light-blue hair that seemed to curl like a wave. She also had some other rather attractive features, but this was not the time for that.

Togata Mirio was the last one of them, and that had Machibuse very much surprised. His odd friend was apparently quite a big shot.

"Okay, please introduce yourselves briefly. Let's start with Amajiki." Aisawa spoke once more.

Amajiki's reaction was drastic, his gaze intensified. Hard and oppressive, that guy shifted the entire atmosphere in the class with a single glare.

Then he began… shaking? And muttering something about potatoes?

"I want to go home…!" Amajiki admitted meekly as he turned to face the wall behind him.

Machibuse felt an instant spiritual connection happening there.

"Ehh!?" most of Class 1-A simply didn't know how to react to that.

"But you are… the best of the best in the Hero Course, right?" Ojiro asked, mild delusion in his voice.

"Listen, Amajiki-kun! That is called having the heart of a flea! Isn't that weird?" the girl stepped in.

"Don't feel bad, senpai… we got one "flea heart" as well." Jiro offered, one of her jacks pointing towards Machibuse.

"You wound me deeply, Lieutenant." Machibuse responded with a deadpan expression.

"Well, this flea is Amajiki Tamaki. I am Hado Nejire. We were asked to come here to talk about the internships… hey." the girl introduced herself and her frightened companion, but something caught her eye as she now approached Shoji.

"Hey hey, why are you wearing a mask? Are you sick? Trying to look cool?" Hado completely forgot what she was doing, coming closer with every question.

"Oh, sometime ago I…" Shoji began explaining, causing Machibuse to lean a little closer to hear.

Then Hado completely cut the answer off, now moving on to ask about Todoroki's scar.

Then about Ashido's horns.

And, with some very unfortunate phrasing, she asked about "Mineta's balls". That was enough to set the pervert off into overdrive.

Which the senior completely ignored as she now moved on to ask about whether Asui as a frog or a toad and about Ojiro's tail.

Aisawa was visibly losing his patience.

And it fell upon poor Togata's shoulders to get the job done.

"The future is gonna be…?" he shouted dramatically, one hand up to his ear as he expected an enthusiastic response.

Dead silence.

"Grim! That's what you were supposed to say, right? Come on, Soldier Boy! Help your senior out here!" Togata awkwardly responded to his own call before laughing sheepishly at Machibuse's unblinking stare.

Murmurs began filling the classroom, people were far from impressed.

"Well, you guys look like you don't know what is going on… I mean, we are just a bunch of third years that waddled in to explain about something that isn't even necessary. That is very confusing, isn't it?" Togata accepted his defeat and moved on unburdened.

Now he was the one mumbling to himself about how the first years were energetic and managed to acquire their provisional licenses.

And then he simply challenged the entirety of Class 1-A to try taking on him as if it was nothing.

Machibuse briefly recalled everything he knew about his morning run partner.

" _This shit can't end well…"_

-.

 **September 7th,** **U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, Gym Gamma, 1020.**

Eighteen versus one.

"Umm… are you sure for real, senpai?" Sero asked with mild concern.

"Totally!" Togata responded eagerly as he stretched.

"Mirio, you probably shouldn't. For the work studies, it would've been enough for us to say how it is and what we learned from it. Not everyone is filled to the brim with ambition… We can't end up with kids who can't recover from this." Amajiki spoke from the wall he was facing, his tone a grim warning.

"What does he mean by "unable to recover"?" Kirishima asked out loud.

"Oh, listen! Didn't you know? In the past there was a student who got so frustrated that he quit being a hero, and that caused all sorts of problems. Did you know that? It is tough isn't, Togata? If you don't think things through properly, this will be rough. Really rough." Hado responded as she happily fidgeted with Ashido's horns.

"Please stop…" the pink skinned girl mumbled weakly.

"Please wait. There's a handicap in place, but we have fought the pros before." Tokoyami stepped in, clearly bothered by being looked down upon.

"And we've fought villains before, too. Do we look like such weak small fry to you?" Kirishima weighted in as well.

"Right, you can come at me anytime, from anywhere. Who's first?" Togata nodded, now challenging Class 1-A properly.

Kirishima readied up, but Midoriya was the first to actually step forward.

People were getting fired up.

"This is a good chance for all of you. Make sure you get the most out of this experience!" Aisawa called from the edge of the battlefield.

Fists tightened, fighting stances were taken.

Machibuse tensed up, but otherwise remained still. If his assumption was right then this battle was going to be different from everything Class 1-A had been through before.

"Well then, senpai, thanks for showing us this kindness. I look forward to your teaching!" Kirishima shouted.

Midoriya dashed forward.

Battle was about to commence… and Togata suddenly was naked.

"Sorry! Fine tuning is a little bit tricky!" the senior apologized as he hurriedly tried to get back inside his pants. That got everyone out of the loop for a moment.

Midoriya was quick to recover, taking the opportunity to take the first shot.

His leg went clear through Togata's head with absolutely no resistance. That pretty much confirmed Machibuse's suspicion; a few weeks ago, during his usual morning run, he had come across Togata coming from the opposite direction with his arm held out for a high-five.

Machibuse missed the hand, but not because his senior pulled back saying "too slow!", he had felt as if Togata's hand simply wasn't there.

This was going to be a hell of a fight.

More attacks went flying, and Togata didn't even bothered with moving aside. Tape, Navel Laser and Acid simply passed through as well and struck the rocky structure behind.

Togata had completely vanished once the smoke cleared out… well, his pants were still there at least.

"I will start with the long-distance fighters!" his voice came from behind Class 1-A.

The Lieutenant clearly wasn't keen on having him popping up naked behind her.

In an instant Togata had taken down Tokoyami, Sero and Mineta. Aoyama, Ashido and Asui followed soon enough.

Now Machibuse assumed a proper fighting position, Chelicerae ready to spring. Attacking was useless against someone that was simply untouchable, but Togata needed to be solid for at least an instant when connecting with his attacks.

The problem was getting that counter to land.

Power.

Speed.

Technique.

Togata held the advantage in all of those.

Now Shoji, Kaminari, Jiro and Yaoyorozu fell. It wasn't a solid pattern, but Machibuse could see that he was the next.

In an instant Togata surged from the ground, barely giving his target time to brace up for impact as Machibuse kicked the floor through the attacker's chest to get out of the way.

Togata surely hit like a train, sending Machibuse about half a meter in the air before disappearing as fast as he came.

"POWER!" he shouted, over half the class had been taken down.

Machibuse rolled over in pain, his attention now focusing on Midoriya's words.

" _Countering is easier said than done…"_ he thought, taking in a deep breath.

By the time Machibuse got back to his feet Togata had already wrapped up the fight.

"POW… huh, hardier than you look, Soldier Boy." Togata shouted once more, but the rising figure behind him had his battle cry cut short.

"You hit almost as hard as my grandmother… Togata-senpai…" Machibuse grunted as he wiped the spit on his chin on the back of his hand.

"Hey! No need to diss me like that!" Togata laughed as he stretched and readied to attack once again.

"I meant it as a compliment." Machibuse retorted, the Chelicerae on his feet now digging into the ground as he dashed forward.

Togata slipped under the ground.

It was a ridiculously dynamic game of chess: One who predicted every move versus one that couldn't be predicted.

Time seemed to slow to a craw as Machibuse jumped the instant he felt something moving behind him, both legs now ready to kick backwards.

Togata's arm came rising into Machibuse's stomach as the counter attack phased through his chest.

This time Machibuse was down for good.

Togata stopped still for a moment. He glanced at the tiniest wound into his fist, almost as he had just bumped into a wooden splinter… No wonder that hit felt weird, his target had left a hand in the path of the attack, springing the weapons he had concealed just as the blow connected. Machibuse had been a fraction of a second too late.

Then the senior looked down towards his morning run partner.

"Trading hits like this will get you killed, you know?"

…

..

.


	46. Out There, Looking For You

_**October is finally over, that means I can go back to posting. Hope you all are interested in more layers being added to this plot...**_

-.

 **September 8th,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 0755.**

Weather was nice enough. Been a while since Tokyo had seen such a fine cloudy sky… maybe tomorrow Machibuse's morning run would be graced by heavy rain.

Machibuse had just arrived back from his usual morning track only to be ushered inside by Aisawa, who approached from the opposite direction. The homeroom teacher wasn't alone however; a lanky, dark-haired fellow walked by his side.

The camera hanging from his neck was a dead giveaway. The prospects for tomorrow were great, but the current day just had been set up for trouble.

" _Ah, fuck…"_ Machibuse thought as he made it inside. Breakfast was likely already about to be served and he could do without the empty stomach to deal with today's issue.

Everyone was already up, blissfully unaware of what was about to happen.

That was when Aisawa called everyone to the main hall. Class 1-A was about to be the main issue of a newspaper.

"A newspaper!?" people asked loudly.

Machibuse just took a deep breath, considering whether or not Kamihara's method of dealing with the press was valid in that scenario.

"Yeah. A newspaper wants to do a feature on you lot." Aisawa responded briefly, his dislike for the press being suppressed for the moment.

"Isn't this amazing, Deku-kun!" Uraraka chirped in closer to a slightly red-faced Midoriya.

"It's kind of embarrassing." Kaminari commented eagerly.

"Why do you say that?" Kirishima blinked in confusion.

"The sports festival was broadcasted around the country, right?" Ojiro added. Truth be told, that was hardly the first time Class 1-A made it to the news.

"Mina-chan! We'll be on the paper! We've gotta look our best!" Hagakure was already bursting with excitement.

"Yeah!" Ashido followed suit, leaving Jiro to comment about how Hagakure apparently forgot she was invisible.

"Don't get too excited." Aisawa warned.

" _I can guarantee I am not."_ Machibuse rolled his eyes, the years of protocol keeping his mouth shut for the moment.

"This article is supposed to be about how you students are doing since moving into the dorms. The principal thought it would be good for your parents and guardians to see that you are living happily in the dorms and is why he issued special permission. So this… is why you should not do anything like _that._ " Aisawa explained, taking a brief pause to bind a certain pervert that had been running his mouth about the possibility of a female reporter.

"You don't have to be like that, Aisawa-sensei." a voice came from around the corner.

The reporter had joined in.

"I want to do a report on the U.A. students on their natural state in the dorms." he added in a friendly tone as he approached the students.

"Tokuda-san, I didn't say you could come in yet." Aisawa protested for a moment.

"I was told I could be here from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.. It's already time." the reporter, Tokuda, interrupted as he pointed to his clock. Aisawa got beaten at his own punctuality game.

"Everyone, I am Tokuda, a reporter. Thank you for having me today." the man introduced himself with a short bow.

"Nice to meet you!" Class 1-A responded in unison.

"You don't have to do anything special for me. Please just show the camera how to you normally live… I might ask you questions occasionally, so I will be counting on you then, otherwise just pretend I'm not here." Tokuda explained his plan with a smile that caused reactions of different sorts as both Tokuda and Aisawa whispered something.

"Iida, let me know immediately if there is a problem. Got it?" Aisawa turned to the now overbearing class president.

Soon enough things began moving again, although Machibuse could easily pick some doubts on the looks Aisawa was giving to their new guest. What else had brought that reported to the residence of Class 1-A? Machibuse was sure to remain alert, just in case.

Still, nothing stopped him from having breakfast while vigilant. Shoji's towering height would provide good cover from the camera during the meal, and a surely Kaminari wouldn't mind if someone else did the dishes in his place by mistake.

The kitchen offered a good enough vantage point, and Machibuse would be able to follow the guest's movements discreetly by keeping an eye on the handful of reflexive surfaces that dotted his work station.

Things were more or less the same as usual; some students were still rather camera shy, Yaoyorozu and Koda were visibly uncomfortable about being taken pictures of. Most were taking it in stride, some a little too well as it was the case of Ashido and Hagakure. Some were just… plain terrible about acting naturally while on camera, Mineta was still grumbling about the fact the reporter wasn't a sexy weather girl, Iida couldn't stop staring at the photographer… and Aoyama was just having the time of his fucking life.

More power to him, honestly.

And of course Bakugo snapped at the reporter a couple of times over the morning, but that was to be expected.

Soon the twenty students of Class 1-A left for their first period. Tokuda dutifully followed them, taking the opportunity to snag some more pictures. Perhaps the man was truly only interested in that scoop…

That was when the reporter approached Machibuse.

"I can't help but notice that you are avoiding my lens." Tokuda pointed out, his voice carrying some worry, but tainted with a smidge of amusement.

"You surely know that I have my reasons to avoid exposition, Tokuda-san." Machibuse responded in a neutral tone as he turned to face the man.

"Edgeshot is not going to scold you for doing press stuff, you know that, right?" Sero, who was within an earshot of the two stopped to comment. That in turn caused Bakugo, Kirishima, Ashido and Kaminari, the so called "Bakusquad", to also turn towards the scene.

Tokuda couldn't help but chuckle.

"I imagine that Edgeshot's influence plays a role here, but that is hardly the main issue… isn't it, "Child in the Wreckage"?" the reporter asked bluntly.

Machibuse's only response to that was a hard look, one that he had given to more people than he could count over the years.

"Child in the what?" Kaminari quirked an eyebrow as he asked the question.

"It's an old photo that comes on and off the web. A boy standing on the hull of a sinking ship, with an old man dead by his side." Bakugo explained in a very serious tone, his eyes now fixated on Machibuse's back. Kamino left a lot unanswered for Bakugo, but just now he made a very crucial connection: The reason why that picture had been pulled off the web so many times. Something in that picture dispelled the narrative about the incident. All For One had stated that the history presented about the Murakumo was a cover up.

Kirishima's expression gave that away to Bakugo. Shitty-hair apparently knew what was going on… yeah, he and the other four that went to Kamino that night apparently had gone to Machibuse's apartment some time after All Might's final battle.

"Huh, I know the photo… didn't knew it had a name though." Sero spoke, mild concern in his voice as he now found out _who_ was in that image.

Ashido was about to say something, she had seen that photo once or twice as well, but the realization that Machibuse's visits to the graveyard had likely a lot to do with that ship got her silent.

"Kamino has brought a lot of attention to the amount of classified information regarding you, and I can imagine that you had to deal with a lot of people asking a lot of questions. I know a good scoop when I see one, people simply want to know more about you… but I understand that you don't want to speak about it; tragedy is much more than news for those affected." Tokuda offered with a weak smile, that last bit had come from the heart.

"My visit here truly has nothing to do with whatever happened four years ago, so please, you don't need to be weary of me." Tokuda concluded playfully, turning slightly to snap a picture of someone in the distance.

Machibuse just remained silent and nodded. Perhaps not every strange face out there had it out for him.

"Just pretend I am not even here and be yourself... I was told that you and Yaoyorozu-san are pretty close, and photos of the two of you would sell like hotcakes."

-.

 **September 9th,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 0905.**

Things had finally settled down into a rhythm as the last few habits of the summer break died out over the course of the first week of school. Sure, the U.A. students went through a lot of training, and other not expected events, over their break, but actually having classes made a big difference. The first group study session took place just a couple of days ago, after Present Mic decided to drop a massive amount of new content; Machibuse ended up in charge of helping those struggling with English as he cooked. Positive reinforcement came in the shape of finger food.

"The internships… think of them as a more serious version of your week with the pros. We talked about them at out faculty meeting yesterday, and almost all teachers, including the principal, were against you guys doing them." Aisawa's opening statement for today's homeroom was not what people were looking for.

"After we had that big meeting about it?" Kirishima voiced the feelings of most his classmates.

"But thinking about why we ended up in the dorms it does makes some sense…" Kaminari offered reluctantly. At least he was trying to see past the disappointment.

"SERVES YOU RIGHT!" Bakugo slammed both palms on his table. The sore loser was at least enjoying the misfortune that had fallen upon those who pulled ahead on the provisional license exam.

"But some think we won't be able to raise strong heroes with our current policies, so we came to the decision that first years will only be allowed to go to agencies with a good track record of accepting interns." Aisawa turned the mood around… maybe he did that just to flip the scrip on Bakugo. And if that wasn't the case, it still had worked wonders.

Murmurs soon filled the classroom as the students pondered about what they would do. Uraraka and Asui were quick to bring up the names of Gunhead and Selkie, Tokoyami just gave a short nod, certain that his internship was secure, Kirishima and Jiro were visibly fussing over as they tried to gage the chances of their "bosses" from last semester, Yaoyorozu quickly dismissed the possibility of returning to Uwabami's and Midoriya was simply muttering to himself like he normally did.

Machibuse raised his hand.

"Sensei, regarding first years interns… what if I am Edgeshot's entire track record?"

-.

 **September 9th,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 1855.**

"Affirmative, Sir… Yes, likely about that… Negative. I am entirely to blame for what happened, I was the one to act against your orders in the first place…"

That was a scene people would never get used to. Yaoyorozu, Jiro and Kaminari were simply watching from their seats over the kitchen counter as their classmate casually discussed business with one o Japan's biggest heroes over the phone as he waited for dinner to be finished.

Well, as casually as Machibuse could sound without breaching his protocol.

"Negative, Sir. Spent most of the time between Kamino and the provisional license exam training with Recovery Girl doing medical training, so I haven't made much progress when it comes down to an ultimate move… Honestly I still don't see why need one, but that is one of the reasons as to why I want to resume training under you… Negative, just waiting for dinner to finish cooking. It became my responsibility since moving to the dorms… Hmm, yes, I imagine that it is inconvenient for you to come all the way over to U.A. just for an Okinawan takeout." Machibuse continued his conversation, now holding the cellphone in place with his shoulder as he added the finishing touches to his creation.

"Edgeshot really stopped by his house just to eat? THE Edgeshot?" Kaminari asked in a hushed tone as he continued to listen to the bizarre exchange.

"Yeah, the Captain's old place was pretty close to Edgeshot's agency…" Jiro responded, her interest split between the conversation and the meal ahead.

"Hakuba told me that Shoji-san happened to run into Edgeshot every so often, and his reaction the first few times were something to behold." Yaoyorozu chuckled briefly before getting up to call everyone else for dinner.

"I will message Eraserhead's number to you, suppose that cutting the middleman is indeed the better choice… If that is the case, I will see you tomorrow, Sir." Machibuse concluded the call, quickly forwarded a message and stored his cellphone.

"Tomorrow?" Jiro quirked an eyebrow.

"Kamihara-san is likely going to need to discuss with the principal about my internship. My previous experience in his agency most definitely ended in a low note, but circumstances were far from normal. Add to that the fact that I was specifically targeted by villains during the summer and we end up with quite a dire situation." Machibuse explained.

"Huh, neat… You really got into that whole internship hype, didn't you, Captain?" Jiro mused as she now got up to be the first in line to get her food.

"If I can do it, then I suppose I must do it, Lieutenant. But I am pretty sure that if I am shut down tomorrow than I will just settle down and take it easy." Machibuse sighed as he untied the knot on his apron.

"So, you think Edgeshot might want a second intern? Just sayin' I wouldn't mind the chance." Kaminari asked out.

"That is highly unlikely, Kaminari-san." Machibuse responded, visibly surprised about the straightforward question.

"Well, now you can't say I didn't try…" Kaminari shrugged as he looked towards Jiro.

The Captain and the Lieutenant just stared blankly at him for an instant.

"You went straight for the hardest one. You are just searching for an excuse to do jack shit…" Jiro grunted tiredly

"What! No!... I mean, not totally…"

-.

 **September 10th,** **U.A. Highschool Main Gate, 1630.**

The few reporters that always lurked by the main gate surely hit the jackpot today.

"As punctual as ever, Sir. Thank you for coming." Machibuse greeted with a bow as Edgeshot approached the entrance to the school grounds.

"Rider." the Ninja Hero greeted back with a short nod.

"Here, you will need this." Machibuse held out the coveted visitor pass that allowed access to U.A. Highschool. Villains and media alike would kill to get their hands in one of those.

"Very well… suppose we should move from here." Kamihara took the item offered with care before tossing the red chord tied to the pass around his neck.

Promptly the two were far enough away from the cameras.

"Your first time here, I assume." Machibuse observed as he noticed how the pro by his side carefully studied the surroundings.

"I came to U.A. once some three years ago to watch the Sports Festival, but I did so in civilian clothing to not draw attention. So I have seen little beyond the stadium." Kamihara responded, clearly aware of the increasing number of students watching him from the other side of the mirrored glass of U.A.'s main building.

"Eraserhead-sensei has instructed me to give you a tour of the facility if you so desire. I can assure you that most places are far less crowded than where we are now." Machibuse uncomfortably stifled a sigh as he added that last detail. It would take minutes for word to spread about such a high-profile visitor.

"Wouldn't that cause you to miss out on your classes?" Kamihara asked.

"Affirmative, but students undergoing internships are allotted some leeway." Machibuse responded as he guided Edgeshot inside the main building.

"Are all of your classmates heading out for internships already?" Kamihara asked, ignoring the few people that stopped to take photos.

"Not really, the teachers were mostly against the idea of having the first years out on internships, and that seems to have translated into a smaller number of interns. If all goes well today then Class 1-A will have six out of twenty students out in the field… from the five that went to Kamino, only two are actively taking part in this." Machibuse explained as familiar voices from people of the Department of Management reached his ears.

For the moment he could count on Edgeshot's reputation to keep the sharks at bay, but truth be told he had not taken into account the aftereffects of walking around with such a big name.

"Endeavor's son and the one that the Hero Killer saved from the Nomu in Hosu?" Kamihara guessed.

"You guessed one of them right… If I am not mistaken, Midoriya-san went out for an interview with Sir Nighteye earlier today. Unfortunately Todoroki-san failed the provisional license exam, so he was not eligible for an internship. The second one is the red-haired boy that I faced during the Sports Festival; Kirishima-san should be after a place to intern into as we speak." Machibuse responded.

The two walked in silence for a moment, a safe heaven was in sight. The visitor pass Edgeshot carried would allow him to call the staff elevator, from there it was a clear shot towards the principal's office. Surely Nezu scheduled that reunion for after lunch in order to clear the path from the majority of the students, there were only a handful of classes after lunch on weekends, that meant that the crowd was going to be thinned down quite a bit as most people would have already left for the dorms.

Then again, there was that special someone that never stuck with the majority.

"HEY PARTNER!" a familiar voice came from around the corner, perhaps drawing more attention than the guest at U.A..

"Sir, there is a force in this building that should never be underestimated." Machibuse warned, his façade showing a few cracks.

Lo and behold, Hatsume Mei came crashing into a passerby as she took a sharp turn, surely in a hurry to perform some nefarious act. Covered in soot and oil, wearing some kind of mechanical shoe-thing on only one of her feet as the other half of that contraption clacked around after the engineer. Both pieces were linked by a bundle of wiring and Hatsume either forgot to or didn't care to fully don or doff whatever that thing was, she clearly was in a hurry to reach her business partner.

"Hatsume-san, mind if we talk later?" Machibuse suggested in vain, he already knew how she would respond. The elevator was so very close, and yet so far.

"And lose my chance to show my babies to Japan's number five!? Besides, I have amazing news to share with you! Look!" Hatsume responded with an enthusiastic smile that contrasted greatly with the large bags under her eyes.

In her hands she carried some sort of certificate that by some sort of miracle was as so clean of the dirt clinging to Hatsume that one could use it to pad an operating table.

"She is the one that designs your gear, I assume." Kamihara seemed unfazed by what happened.

"Affirma…"

"Yessir! Hatsume Mei, at your services!" the engineer proudly introduced herself as she studied every minute detail of Edgeshot's costume. Just what gizmos and accessories did the Ninja Hero had with him? How his Quirk shaped them? What he needed? Those and a million other questions filled Hatsume's mind.

Machibuse just took a deep breath, it was easier to just go along.

"Is this…" he began speaking, just to be interrupted once more.

"Yes, it is! I just got it this morning! This beautiful thing is the first steep towards the amazing babies I'm going to make with your help!" Hatsume was unstoppable.

The phrasing however managed to get a mildly confused expression from Kamihara.

"And this…! This is going to be the first of them!" Hatsume continued as she pulled a wrinkled ball of newspaper from inside her shirt.

In an instant the paper had been unfolded to it's full size, revealing a complex schematic for a composite bow drawn into the page. The amount of detail was surely impressive, and Machibuse was not going to pretend to understand what everything did. Kamihara just brought a hand to his chin, carefully studying the drawing.

"It's perfect, right!? Increased punch through, reduced size when compacted and lower overall weight! !nd I should be able to get the unfolding mechanism to put everything together a whole twenty-two point eight six o four per cent faster!" Hatsume went on.

That was when Machibuse thought of an escape plan.

"Very well, partner. I will just guide Kamihara-san to the principal's office and we can discuss about the design later today. I can provide you with much more exposition if I am to follow through with my idea of partaking on an internship under him this semester." Machibuse offered, the line had been cast.

That instantly got Hatsume to quickly usher both towards the elevator as if she never even considered delaying their business.

The ride up was silent, awkwardly so.

"She certainly is talented." Kamihara offered, about halfway through the ascent.

"I can hardly imagine getting this far without her help." Machibuse responded honestly.

There was a low ding, and finally the two had arrived at their destination.

Soon the ornate wooden doors were pushed open, revealing Principal Nezu alongside the homeroom teachers of both classes A and B, All Might, Recovery Girl and Midnight. Wouldn't be hard to imagine that Machibuse Hakame was lurking somewhere inside that office if the hag wasn't incapable of attempting to wrest control over every conversation she partook in.

The Principal greeted both with a smile.

"Please, come in!"

-.

 **September 10th,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 1900.**

As it was routine in for Class 1-A, their kitchen now was filled with the scent of good Okinawan cuisine. Machibuse had returned about an hour ago and had left a few things ready before leaving to meet with Edgeshot earlier that day.

He had been asked to let the teachers and Kamihara discuss some things in private and took the opportunity to head back to the dorms and get dinner going. Just a few more minutes and everything would be ready.

"You found a place to do your internship! That's great, Deku-kun!" Uraraka's voice echoed from the common area.

Ashido and Iida followed suit congratulating him.

Time for dinner was approaching, and that meant that most of the students in Class 1-A were either arriving or already waiting. Midoriya just so happened to get back with the good news at the right moment.

"Man, that is just amazing, Midoriya!" Kaminari also praised as he and a few more people joined in.

"Did you get recommended by Togata-senpai?" Kirishima asked, his head hanging a little lower than usual.

Midoriya was just getting more and more flustered as Todoroki enviously eyed the conversation from the corner, his comment getting Bakugo riled up.

"The school said that Gunhead hasn't had enough interns, so I can't go there." Uraraka complained after a moment of silence.

"Same here. I wanted to go to Selkie's but…" Asui added, suffering a similar fate.

"Fourth Kind doesn't even take interns…" Kirishima joined in the complaint train.

"I mean, the threshold has been set pretty high…" Sero offered some solace.

"Yeah, we can only ask pros with good track records who'll take interns…" Kaminari also did his best to soothe the mood that now filled the room.

"Machibuse? What about you? I heard that you got Edgeshot to come here in person." Ojiro asked, now turning towards the kitchen.

"I would say my chances are better, even if Edgeshot's record with interns is pretty short. Fame does come with some benefits after all." Machibuse responded, taking a moment to fill in a quartet of bento boxes with food.

"Must be really nice to have someone that big looking out for you…" Uraraka's head sunk between her hands as she spoke those words.

"I am the biggest issue really. My own record of being injured and targeted is what is making things this hard. I suppose that's the reason behind such a long meeting." Machibuse sighed.

"Why four boxes?" Tokoyami asked as he watched the cook doing finalizing his work.

"Hatsume-san has a new project she wants to show me, so it is better to have this ready. Otherwise I will end up paying for whatever bag of chips or bar of chocolate she considers as food, she likely hasn't been eating regularly… The other two are his." Machibuse explained, gesturing towards the door.

Aisawa and Edgeshot had just entered.

"We have to get things right, otherwise it becomes a trouble for the pro who takes you in." Aisawa spoke tiredly.

The students were clearly surprised about their guest.

"Pros who accept students even after knowing the risks are the real thing… Machibuse, you are clear to go starting tomorrow. Tokoyami, you've got an invitation from a real pro as well. From Hawks, in Kyushu." Aisawa added, eyes going from one student to another as he spoke.

"Hawks!?" Kaminari almost choked, a lot was happening way too fast.

"The number three!?" Sero followed in the outburst, conveniently helping Machibuse to remember who "Hawks" was.

" _Oh yeah, bird guy…"_ Machibuse concluded in his mind.

"What will you do, Tokoyami?" Aisawa asked shortly after the surprise had died down.

"I respectfully accept." Tokoyami didn't took a second too long to respond.

"Right. I will get you the paperwork later, just let me know when you are heading to Kyushu so I can authorize your absence for those days." Aisawa concluded.

"Hawks is a difficult person sometimes, but you do well to accept. He is deserving of the position he holds." Edgeshot turned towards Tokoyami briefly before heading towards his intern.

"You humble me, Edgeshot, sir." Tokoyami quickly bowed towards the ninja.

"Rider, you already know how things work at the agency. I expect you to arrive in time for daytime patrol. Clear?" Kamihara now turned his only visible eye towards the student on the other side of the kitchen counter.

"Yes, Sir!" Machibuse immediately responded, his posture straightened and his hands now firmly behind his back.

With a nod Edgeshot picked up the packaged meal and turned to leave.

"We need to catch up as soon as possible." Todoroki once more spoke…

"Stop saying that!" and once more Bakugo berated him for it.

"Also, Kirishima, Amajiki from the Big Three wants to see you." Aisawa apparently had more news.

"Huh, he wants to see me?" Kirishima asked confusedly.

"And Hado wants to talk with Uraraka and Asui. Go see them tomorrow or something and hear them out. That's all… Edgeshot, if you are ready to leave then please follow me." Aisawa concluded, now leaving with Edgeshot close behind.

"Amajiki-senpai… I wonder what he wants…" Kirishima pondered loudly.

"You think it is about the internships?" Asui got the idea out for them.

"No way! I'm getting my hopes up!" Uraraka perked up.

"I can't wait until tomorrow. I going to the third years' dorm right now!" Kirishima was quick to leave.

Uraraka and Asui quickly followed.

"I suppose I shall take my leave as well, Hatsume-san is likely already waiting for me at the Development Studio. Dinner is ready, everyone." Machibuse also left, spirits clearly up after successfully getting his internship.

"We need to…"

"SHUT UP!"

-.

 **September 11th, Tokyo, Musutafu, Dagobah Municipal Beach Park, 0347.**

The currents usually brought a lot of undesired things towards the sandy shore; junk, dead fish, pollution…

*rraaaarrl*

Thankfully, even now that the beach had been cleared, it was far too late into the night for anyone to be there.

The thing gargled for air, something it had not tasted for so long. In one jerky movement it broke free from the last now rotten stakes that had it previously bound. Many other splinters still clung to it's flesh, snapped over the years by the currents, but those did not hurt anymore.

*RAAAaah*

The thing had adapted to them.

The thing began moving, leaving a trail of loose algae and deep footprints in its wake.

It's prey had eluded it for far too long. And now the hunt had resumed.

Indeed the currents brought a lot of undesired things.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: So yeah, Internship Arc here we go? What can go wrong?**_


	47. The Thrill of the Chase

_**So, I've been silent for a while, yeah. Life happens, had to deal with some stuff back at the old home country; one of my mentors from academy days turned one hundred, so I took my time to visit the old cot in the countryside. Dunno when I will have the chance to visit him again, or if I will even have that chance.**_

 _ **That and general writer's block, but that is for a good reason.**_

-.

 **September 11th, Tokyo, Edgeshot Hero Agency, 1200.**

Entering that building with the steel suitcase in hand surely felt nostalgic, if anything Machibuse was much less nervous now than he was back in March. This internship was a big step forward and apparently Edgeshot visiting U.A. had sent some very clear signals to the media, for the usual crowd of news teams was clearly awaiting for the new intern's arrival.

But something else had them really fired up already, those not taking pictures were comparing snapshots of something or someone that passed by earlier.

"No one other than the White Rider. So you are really back…"

"…suppose you already know what you need to do. No time to slack."

"Boss said you'd be here for the month this time…"

"…so get ready, there will be a lot of fighting crime!"

Machibuse barely had time to bow and respond to the greeting before the to receptionist got to their feet and motioned for him to take the elevator. The Mazekeepers were unusually serious.

"Today is a big day. Boss has been hunting as of late…

"…get your gear ready and head to the garden floor, the other hunters await."

With a firm nod Machibuse stepped into the main elevator, there was no time to waste. He would just make a quick stop by a bathroom somewhere to change into his costume and then head straight for Kamihara's office.

After a quick pause to finish changing, Machibuse was back on his way towards his destination.

A gentle breeze welcomed him as the doors opened, the garden was as beautiful as ever. If that picnic with Momo ever happened then this surely had to be the place.

"Just in time, Rider. Get inside, we have a lot to discuss before leaving for patrol. I will go over U.A.'s paperwork as we speak." Kamihara greeted as he slid the door of his office open just as his intern approached.

"My gratitude for having me once more, Sir." Machibuse responded with a bow before making it up the short set of stairs that led into the office.

"We have guests today, although I'm certain you already know one of them." Kamihara informed as he guided the student inside.

Machibuse's unspoken question was answered as soon as the duo reached the main room of Edgeshot's personal quarters. Kneeling around the wooden table was the pro hero Kamui Woods, alongside a mostly bald man, around his mid to late fifties by the looks of it, dressed in civilian clothing but donning a police badge around his neck.

"Rider, this is Detective Tanuma. He has been put in charge of the investigation regarding the group you and I detained earlier this year, the ones who attempted to double cross those yakuza on the Trigger deal." Edgeshot introduced the unknown face at the table and motioned for his intern to sit down.

"So you are the kid Tsukauchi likes… glad to meetcha." the man greeted in a rather informal manner before clearing his throat.

"Anyway, we can leave pleasantries for later. We shouldn't leave the good news waiting, right? I gave Edgeshot a rundown on the lead over the phone this morning, but I imagine you all would like to know the details. The guys you two captured at that alley in March were just a proxy, goons hired by a larger drug ring that rose up to prominence some three years ago. Both the police and the heroes have been chipping at them steadily ever since and by now most of their operation has been already broken down, so what remains is proving hard to snuff out. They tend to act only sporadically nowadays and tend to avoid getting into the turfs of other gangs… that and the fact that they go silent for months at a time whenever things go south has caused some forty of their affiliates to avoid prison. But we got a few reports of wanted faces moving away from Tokyo and heading further inland; they are in a hurry for some reason, and that got them sloppy." Detective Tanuma explained as he pulled a about a dozen photos from a suitcase by his side and placed them over the table.

"So the police wants us to bring those guys in." Kamui Woods concluded as he picked up a photo at random.

"That's not all… the goons spilled out that there is a warehouse here in Tokyo, somewhere by the shore, but they were just hired muscle to bully the yakuza; their job was to take the loot from those yakuza and deliver it to a guy in some parking lot in downtown Shinjuko. We need to find and clear that warehouse, and to find it we need the guys that are escaping behind bars." Tanuma responded.

"Very well. When do we start?" Edgeshot asked, clearly already strategizing in his mind.

"My guys should be able to track those guys in a few days, especially now that they are making this much noise. We ended up with quite the power team here, so I'm not worried about what happens after that."

-.

 **September 11th, Tokyo, Streets of Shinjuku, 1620.**

The media was going to make a killing today. Not only they had witnessed something massive earlier today at Edgeshot's agency, namely the rising star pro hero Kamui Woods coming for a reunion with the Ninja Hero. Not only they got another chance to cover on the development of the hero in training that was attacked by Stain and kidnapped by the League of Villains… No, they were getting the full deal today.

The sound of screeching tires and non-stop honks filled the air of a secondary street not too far from Machibuse's former apartment. What was supposed to be a rather slow day at Edgeshot's agency quickly turned into a rather hectic car chase.

The stolen armored van shoved the civilian cars aside recklessly, inside the stolen vehicle were four villains, two security guards turned hostages and a small fortune in cash.

" _Are you sure about this plan?_ " Kamui Woods asked over the com in a concerned tone as the intern continued to run further and further away from the mission.

"The villains have only two routes to leave Shinjuku and the one I am heading towards will require them to slow down, that will give me an opening to board the vehicle." White Rider responded as he continued to run over the safety rail that divided the asphalt from the sidewalk. It was easier to run there than having to weave between the pedestrians.

" _I see that you have studied the city map since your last time working under me. Very well… Kamui Woods, follow with the plan and keep the pursuit while I block the path. Even if we had the muscle to rip open that armor, we would still need to account for the hostages; Rider, your job is to ensure that they are released before we act."_ Edgeshot decided.

" _Right, senpai!"_

"Yessir!"

It took precisely one hundred and ninety-nine seconds for the armored van to cut the corner, the villains unaware about the hero clinging to the roof a tunnel.

Landing was… smooth enough.

"Boarding was a success. I am onto the target and heading southeast." White Rider informed over the com.

" _So their destination is the port."_ Kamui Woods concluded as he watched the armored vehicle disappearing inside a tunnel.

"Either that or they are going to use the tunnel as cover to drop the hostages and exchange vehicles. I should be getting out of the com's range soon if they keep up speed, turning on my cellphone's GPS tracking ASAP. Over." White Rider concluded, quickly fishing his cellphone from inside the padded pocket.

Two hundred seconds in and things were getting weird, the van wasn't slowing down the slightest and the driver was getting even more aggressive.

Then suddenly the armored van went zooming past the exit that would lead towards Tokyo Bay and, with a sharp turn that rocked White Rider towards the side wall of the van, into the incoming traffic.

With a quick release then catch, the hero slid to the back door of the vehicle, where the villains wouldn't be able to see him and where the risk of being hit by a car was much smaller. Luckily by now the side plating of the armored van was so banged up that the villains wouldn't notice the scratch marks of the Chelicerae raking as the trainee struggled to keep his grip.

Now the vehicle was making haste towards the tunnel entrance that surfaced somewhere in central Shibuya, the villains were apparently improvising an escape route through the park.

The com was already out of range.

"The mark has changed course, not signs of slowing down. They must have an escape vehicle hidden somewhere in Yoyogi Park." White Rider began sending a voice mail to Edgeshot's number.

A quick peek through the small window on the back of the vehicle was risky but assuring that the hostages were ok was priority right now.

That turned out to be way more of an issue.

"Sir, one of the hostages is unbound inside the vehicle. Counting stacks of money actually… he is in all this. How do we proceed?" White Rider's second voice mail sounded far more concerned.

This new scenario was a big problem, no wonder the villains managed to steal the vehicle so quickly and with so little resistance. One extra person also meant that the villains had an extra pair of arms to move bags around and fight back. Worse than that was the fact that it was still a hostage situation… really, why couldn't both the hostages be undercover villains? It would make things so much easier.

Took about a minute for Edgeshot to respond, coms were back online so both he and Kamui Woods were closing in onto the exit already, likely they had already predicted that movement based on the GPS they were following.

" _Think you can get the back door open by the time our guys reach the park?"_ Edgeshot asked.

"Negative, none of the doors have external locks so I can't pick my way inside. I can get them to slow down considerably by the time we leave the tunnel, maybe even to a full stop, but I won't be able to rush towards the hostage and the driver might decide to crash the car to get rid of me or just lose control of the vehicle. I am going to kill their engine." White Rider responded, now crawling back onto the roof of the armored transport.

" _Do it. This chase has already stretched for long enough. Kamui Woods, prepare to catch the vehicle."_ Edgeshot gave the green light.

" _In position... How exactly are you going to kill the engine, White Rider?"_ Kamui Woods asked, more curious than concerned at this point.

" _He is a resourceful kid."_ Edgeshot responded.

In an instant the teen was in position, just above the bulletproof windshield. A Quirk such as Honenuki's or Mineta's would've made this entire chase such a simple affair, but alas Machibuse had none of those. Instead he had a pair of wire-arrows, ready to be fired.

The Chelicerae on his feet gouged into the steel plating as he knocked both arrows onto his bow. He was barely able to hear the driver shouting profanities with all the noise from the traffic.

That was going to be a _very_ bumpy ride from now on.

Paying absolutely no mind to the commotion his sudden appearance caused within the vehicle, White Rider just leaned over the front of the speeding vehicle and fired down.

Both wires attached to the front grill and to the pavement bellow. Sure, the nano-fiber cable was strong, but not strong enough to rip the entire thing at once.

By now the driver was zig-zagging violently, but the hero just had too much of a grip.

White Rider hastily stored his bow and reached for the most crucial piece of his plan.

The armored vehicle shuddered with the impact.

The cables snapped, but they did their job. The front of the van now had a tiny tear, just large enough for a ping-pong ball to fit through.

Or a few caltrops.

One by one the steel spikes were being loaded into the opening, and immediately after the first one had vanished from sight, the noise of something being tossed around under the hood began.

Soon there was smoke, and a split second after that came the sparks.

The villain ridding shotgun hastly opened his door, gun in hand as he readied to take the unwanted passanger down.

"Ninpo: Thousand Sheet Pierce!"

"Lacquered Chains Prison!"

The machine now was quickly losing speed as it reached the end of the tunnel, multiple branches now wrapping around its hind wheels now killing the remaining momentum.

All but one of the villains were already being subdued by Edgeshot, the driver managed to jump out from the car in time and left his accomplices to take the fall.

He turned, pistol in hand, scrambling to run and aim at the same time.

Something painfully twisted his arm downwards before he managed to pull the trigger, the hero in the white rain cloak had disappeared from sight.

The first bullet went soaring and impacted the asphalt, and by the time the second one reached the firing chamber, the pistol's slide had already been yanked out and before the driver even realized what had happened to his gun he was already with his chest and face against the floor and locked in an excruciatingly painful armbar.

"Sir, do we need him awake?" White Rider asked nonchalantly, the Chelicerae on the back of one of his knees ready to send the man into slumber.

"It would make the police's job easier." Edgeshot responded as he escorted the hostage outside the vehicle.

"Here, I'll deal with holding him down." Kamui Woods offered, now effortlessly restraining the driver with his Arbor.

"My gratitude." White Rider nodded as he got to his feet.

"Good work, kid." Edgeshot spoke, pleased to see that his intern hadn't grown dull since the last time they worked together. The entire ordeal lasted for less than twenty minutes, but that had certainly been a job that would shake someone less prepared.

Kamui Woods just watched for a moment as the teenager bowed towards the hero mentoring him. The next generation had a lot of potential.

"You know, I was a little on the fence about something, but I guess that now I may need you to do me a favor, White Rider…"

-.

 **September 11th,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 2205.**

That had been a very long day, but things finally had slowed back down to a very… pleasant pace. Machibuse made it back to U.A. about three hours ago, had a good cold shower whipped a quick meal for Class 1-A.

Jiro screamed as the chainsaw revved up.

Blood and entrails gushed everywhere with each strike.

"Man, you really suck with this horror stuff…" Sero commented, his mouth half full of popcorn.

After dinner Jiro, Sero, Ashido and Yaoyorozu ended up at Machibuse's room, the five of them felt like watching a movie for a change. The three girls were sitting at the couch, with Sero sitting on the armrest and Machibuse on the carpet, his back resting against Yaoyorozu's legs.

"S-SHUT UP! I WASN'T READY FOR THAT!" Jiro scrambled to respond, now hugging tight onto the cushion she had pried from the backrest of the couch.

"What were you expecting? Machibuse was the one to pick the movie." Ashido pointed out.

"You were the ones to ask for something "to get the blood pumping", please do not shift the blame on me." Machibuse countered, mildly annoyed as he tried to focus on the movie.

"I'd say you took it a little too literally though, this one is quite graphical…" Yaoyorozu observed, her eyes venturing away from the screen just for a moment.

"It is a classic." Machibuse defended.

More gore filled the screen, a human body could not possibly have that much blood in it.

"A cult classic." Machibuse added.

"Hmm… the timid guy is going to run away now and end up in a dead-end with the killer just behind him." Yaoyorozu predicted, unimpressed.

Said and done.

Machibuse just half-turned to meet her face, receiving just a dismissive shrug in response for his tired look.

That scene went on for about forty more minutes, Jiro would squeal and gasp at every moment of terror, and the more intense scares caused everyone to jump a little. One of those jumpscares caused Yaoyorozu to tug onto Machibuse's shirt, and Ashido for a moment completely forgot about the movie. By now they had reached the ever so dramatic moment of the plot where the good guys began understanding who or what was the main villain.

Silence.

 _*knock knock*_

Took everyone a second to realize that it was actually someone knocking on Machibuse's door, not some random noise from the movie.

"There is no need to pause it." Machibuse spoke as he got up and made his way towards the door.

"Kirishima-san, welcome back… I have left your dinner in the fridge, I was told that you would arrive quite late." Machibuse greeted his visibly weary classmate.

"Huh, thanks… Can you come with me for a minute? I kinda need your help with something." Kirishima asked, something was bothering him.

"Lead the way." Machibuse was quick to agree.

Soon the two were leaving the 1-A building, and by the door awaited another familiar face. One very uncomfortable about whatever situation that was.

"Amajiki-senpai, how can I help you?" Machibuse asked with a short bow.

"Kirishima-kun… you really think he can do it?" Amajiki asked apprehensively.

"Machibuse here has a Quirk that messes with all that chemical stuff, suppose that he is our best bet!" Kirishima did his best to lift the senior's spirits, even throwing an arm around Machibuse's shoulders.

"Right… Machibuse-kun, is it? I got shot with something while we're out patrolling… that happened a little over three hours ago, and I haven't been able to use my Quirk since. Police said it was some kind of drug…" Amajiki explained the situation.

"I will assume that you went to the hospital for a professional examination prior to asking for my help." Machibuse quirked an eyebrow.

"Y-yes… they did a few exams, but the results are still being processed." Amajiki responded.

From what little interaction Machibuse had with his senior he could already tell that Amajiki lacked self-confidence, and suddenly losing his Quirk wasn't doing the guy any favors.

"Very well. Let's get inside, I will need a blood sample and there is a clean syringe inside the first-aid kit in the kitchen drawer." Machibuse gave a nod and led the other two students inside.

Soon enough the impromptu doctor had extracted a dose of red liquid from Amajiki's arm.

"This never get's less creepy…" Machibuse admitted before downing the blood sample.

"That thing won't mess with your Quirk, right?" Kirishima asked, a mix of worry and honest curiosity in his voice.

"Highly unlikely." Machibuse responded after washing the taste from his mouth.

Results were immediate and very apparent in Machibuse's confused expression. That was… wrong.

Couldn't be.

"The police is already running tests to identify just what is this thing, correct?" Machibuse asked, just to be sure.

"Yeah." Kirishima responded, concerned to see Machibuse with such a troubled expression.

"Then we better not jump to conclusions… Amajiki-senpai, this drug, whatever it is, is not very stable. I could try to synthesize an antidote based on what I found, but your body should be already breaking down the drug and the effects should be gone in two or three more hours, so there is really no need for you to worry." Machibuse gave the results.

The senior sighed in relief, bowed and left.

Kirishima, the good guy he was, just laughed it off and proceeded to finally have dinner.

Machibuse took a minute to clean the syringe and discard the used needle. By the time he came back to his room the movie was just about to reach climax, he had lost just some fifteen minutes.

But nothing in that movie could ever come close to scaring him more than what that blood sample carried.

-.

 **September 12th,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-B, 0735**

It was an unusual stop, but Machibuse had a mission this morning.

"Hey, did Monoma get your ass to cook for us again?" Tokage asked teasingly as she opened the door.

"Negative, Tokage-san. Good morning." Machibuse responded, still jogging in place.

"Eh, too bad… so, what brings you to our humble domain? Tired of chasing cars around?" Tokage asked, a little baffled by the visitor's disposition. It was way too early for someone to be that eager to exercise.

"Yesterday has made it to the news I see… it has a to do with that in a way, I need to speak to Shiozaki-san." Machibuse responded after a brief pause to understand the part about a car chase.

"Ibara? Sure, she is still in her room, but the girl is always up with the sun… stop running for a second and get in, I can go get her." Tokage offered, leaving the door open for her guest as she turned back around.

Machibuse mostly kept to himself as he waited, just a greeting here and there as he wasn't looking to disturb Class 1-B's morning routine.

Well, not that he wasn't about to do it anyways.

Didn't took long for Shiozaki to arrive.

"Horse of Plague, what brings you to me?" she asked in a mostly neutral tone, the faintest tinge of bitterness about the whole "unbuttoning of the shirt" thing still there.

"That does sound much better than "Pinprick", I have to admit." Machibuse quirked an eyebrow.

Shiozaki just stared at him for a second, still waiting for the response.

"I have come to ask if you are already busy with an internship." Machibuse spoke, now drawing the attention of a handful of other students from Class 1-B.

"Wait! Aren't you in the business with Edgeshot!? He is asking for our Shiozaki!?" Tetsutetsu's voice filled the air as he shouted enthusiastically.

"Negative. I am working for Edgeshot, yes, but Kamui Woods was the one to make the request. They have been working together as of late, and Kamui Woods has asked me to deliver the offer. Mentioned something regarding how someone suggested Shiozaki-san to him by the time of the Sports Festival, but he wasn't sure about having a student accompanying him at that moment. It appears that he has made up his mind." Machibuse explained the situation to the people now eagerly watching the event.

That got Class 1-B really hyped.

"Think it over, Shiozaki-san. It is a good opportunity, and extra hands will be very welcome for an ongoing investigation, but…" Machibuse turned to Shiozaki once more, but there was no need for him to warn her about the risks of the internship.

"This is not a matter one should debate over. When do we leave? The name of Vine claims to be heard and the streets to be cleansed of evil." Shiozaki interrupted, determination filled her eyes.

"Very well. I will make sure Kamui Woods is informed of your choice." Machibuse concluded with a brief nod as he excused himself. He still had sixteen kilometers left to run.

"Tomorrow we are expected to be armed and ready for daytime patrol. Days without crime are few as it seems, so expect trouble."

-.

 **September 13th, Tokyo, Tokyo Sewers, Underground Discharge Channels, 0159.**

 _*crack*_

It was a feast.

The thing had spent a long time without having the luxury of hunting things other than fish that ventured too close from its confines.

That was a meal that fought back. A proper challenge made victory much more fulfilling.

Another bite.

*shhrl*

*crack*

Tasty.

The fresh wounds would take a moment to close, but it could use the pause to sleep.

Could it even dream? Or was it too lost for that?

It could try.

Would it dream about the prey it longed for?

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Detective Tanuma is a recurring character in the MHA Illegals.**_

 _ **It has been confirmed recently that the Lurkers hero team (Edgeshot, Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady) has been established around the beginning of the second semester, and recently the manga has show Shiozaki working under them, guess the idea of having her interning with Kamui Woods just stuck on my head. And I enjoy having Hakuba interacting with people that are more uptight than his protocol persona every once in a while. Gives me an excuse for him to be the one feeling out of place for once.**_

 _ **Oh, and for you guys paying attention to the story's calendar: Next chapter has a pretty big event.**_


	48. Gotta Knock A Little Harder

**September 13th, Tokyo, Streets of Shinjuku, 1430.**

By now the small crowd had dwindled to just some ten or so onlookers around the site where White Rider and Vine had apprehended a quartet of thugs that were now being handed to the police. The three criminals had tried to make a run after stealing an ATM from the ground floor of what looked like an office building by collapsing the floor under the machine with some type of burrowing Quirk.

They were caught within two hundred and thirty seconds of the alarm going off; their escape vehicle, a tow truck much less troublesome than the armored van from a couple days ago, had just made it out of the garage underneath the crime scene when White Rider drop kicked trough the windshield and into the driver as green vines wrapped around the three men by the truck bed.

It had been a slow day thus far, so the pros decided to let their interns handle that case.

And they had done so with little to no problem.

"Good job, both of you." Edgeshot gave a short nod before motioning for the group to continue their patrol.

"All in a day's work, Sir."

"You humble me greatly."

"It was a pretty strong debut; zero collateral and you got three of those guys before they could even react. Guess my choice of intern was right." Kamui Woods gave Shiozaki the credit she deserved.

"I am very grateful for the opportunity." Vine bowed her head as she responded.

"You decided to breach the windshield to reach for the hand brake, didn't you?" Kamui Woods asked, now turning towards the other intern of the group.

"Affirmative. Vine is much better at handling multiple hostile at once than I am, so when we were told to act on our own I took to stopping the escape vehicle before it reached the street." White Rider responded.

"Senpai is right when he says you are a resourceful kid, took me a moment to understand what you were planning when you jumped towards the truck. Give a weapon like yours to an amateur an he or she would've tried to take the driver out from afar and risk having the vehicle speeding towards the main street." Kamui Woods admitted.

"Suppose I had my share of troublesome car chases for the time being." White Rider allowed himself to chuckle.

Patrol had been surprisingly calm lately, which by no means was a bad thing.

But that never lasted for long.

-.

 **September 13th, Tokyo, Edgeshot Hero Agency, 1950.**

Nothing like the familiar feeling of being tossed around into the ground. Normally hand-to-hand practice would take place at the gym underneath the agency, but this training session required some more privacy.

No weapons, no Quirks, not even costumes… just a good old beatdown. Oddly homely.

They had been at this for almost two hours now.

If Machibuse hadn't been quick to dig his Chelicerae into the dirt he likely would've been sent rolling straight into the garden's pond.

The pond's edge however wasn't the only line he was tried not to cross.

"You do understand that there is no need for you to hold back against me, right kid? I am the number five in the country after all." Kamihara half scolded his intern as he approached, his footsteps inaudible even as he treaded over the first leaves that signaled the incoming fall season. The pristine state of his deep blue shinobi shozoku attesting to how one-sided the spar had been so far.

"So this is the reason why you and the teachers decided to discuss about my internship without having me in the room…" Machibuse grunted as he pushed himself off the ground and on his feet. The teen wore just the black pants of his costume and the dog tags around his neck, mostly because he hadn't brought other clothes suited to this kind of activity.

"Amongst other things, yes. Now, make yourself serious." Kamihara responded with a dismissive sigh, before reassuming his combat stance.

Truth be told, Machibuse was taken by surprise when Kamihara called him for a spar instead of leaving for night patrol. Kamui Woods and Vine had left a while ago, the two were due to meet Mt. Lady midway through their patrol and once the three came back then the interns would be sent back to U.A. so the pros could discuss business.

Machibuse dashed towards his opponent, feet almost as silent as those of the man in front of him.

The jump was quick, the flying axe kick that followed even quicker.

Kamihara easily sidestepped the attack and countered with a lightning fast elbow to Machibuse's side.

The teen rolled to the side in order to absorb the blow and was quickly back on the offense.

In an instant he was already closing in with a sharp left hook.

Evaded.

Kamihara countered.

Machibuse ducked the palm strike before jumping backwards.

The teen returned, weaving his torso to pick up momentum and following it up with a quick right uppercut.

Kamihara effortlessly guided the incoming fist to the side but found out that Machibuse was already expecting that reaction.

Machibuse followed the momentum of his deflected attack and spun counter clockwise on his right foot and prepared to follow with a spin kick that would force Kamihara to block or sidestep once again.

The ninja was already prepared, he had chosen to sidestep.

But Machibuse still had the advantage, instead of extending his left leg to follow with the expected kick he continued the spin and quickly pushed his right leg of the ground and kick with it instead. A cheap trick that turned a relatively slow strike into a quick trip attempt.

Kamihara immediately adapted, jumping over the low kick.

Machibuse's momentum continued unimpeded, so he took the chance to twist his torso and turn the free fall into another strike. Both palms reached for the dirt that quickly approached Machibuse's face, and with a lightning fast adjustment he pushed back against the ground, springing with both feet at Kamihara.

A less skilled fighter would've fallen for the trip, and even experienced martial artists would have a hard time avoiding such a sequence.

But Machibuse once again failed to connect, even if for a hair's width, Kamihara managed to somehow roll mid-air and over the attack.

The spar came to a halt for a moment, both fighters studying each other.

"So this is what happens when you let go… It is certainly a dangerous tool." Kamihara commented as he called down the match.

It was only then Machibuse realized that he had all of his Chelicerae out to strike, he must've deployed them without even realizing during his last attack.

The teen feel silent as he tried to keep it together.

"It is dangerous for both your opponent and for you." Kamihara added, now throwing something for his student to catch.

The dog tags.

Machibuse just got even more confused, when did that happened?

"This combat mindset of yours makes you sloppy. I imagine that the surprise factor it brings has carried you this far but thinking only about how to defeat your opponent will get you killed out there. Or will get you to kill someone." Kamihara spoke the harsh truth.

"So I am really broken, aren't I?" Machibuse asked as he fell to a sitting position, a weak laugh following the question as he searched for a way to cope.

"Broken doesn't mean lost, kid." Kamihara offered, now sitting beside his student.

"Kintsugi philosophy, really?" Machibuse quirked an eyebrow and allowed himself to forgo protocol for a moment.

"I know it's cliché, but it has its merits… This technique of yours is a gift that will help you greatly if groomed correctly, but the means for that growth are not here. I'm not going to pretend I can relate to what you are going through or to understand how you feel about constantly being at risk of losing control." Kamihara admitted with a short sigh.

Machibuse just remained silent for a moment as he rested his back against the grass, not exactly sure about what to say next. He rose his hand towards the night sky, the dark blue and the few visible stars acting as a backdrop for the dog tags loosely tangled around his fingers.

"This is a part of who you are, you shouldn't close the door on it. Don't lose sight of your objective." Kamihara suggested, now getting back on his feet.

"I don't think I should be knocking on the door to invite it to come out and play." Machibuse responded, now finally pushing his back off the ground and putting the dog tags around his neck again.

"But you should be prepared for when it knocks. And that is something I can help you with… with one condition." Kamihara turned towards the teen.

"Huh?" Machibuse stared back confusedly.

The ninja offered his hand to his student.

"On our first meeting you told me that you made a promise to someone, about not giving up on being a hero. I want you to make the same promise to me."

-.

 **September 13th, Tokyo, In Transit Towards U.A. Highschool, 2045.**

Machibuse and Shiozaki would soon arrive at the Musutafu train station. The trip had been actually a very quiet one, given that the former was still busy thinking about what Edgeshot had told him earlier that night and the later had just gone through a surprisingly dense night of patrolling. Gang-related crimes were on the rise, and that resulted in a large number of small-scale scuffles breaking out as criminals fought for space on the street.

The lights of the tunnel quickly passed by the window of the train.

"Something clouds your mind." Shiozaki spoke, her voice pulling Machibuse out of his trance.

He did not respond immediately, just staring back for an instant.

"Even if you are not usually very vocal, it's not like you to be absent-minded." Shiozaki observed.

"It is just…" Machibuse began his explanation but caught himself mid-sentence.

He took a deep sigh.

"Permission to break protocol?"

"Go ahead." Shiozaki nodded.

"I've been putting some things to the side, been trying to just go around them instead of actually dealing with the issue proper… guess that everything just caught up to me at once today." Machibuse admitted, now throwing his head backwards to stare at the ceiling.

"The problem has to do with why my classmates needed to speak with you in private back when you cooked for us." Shiozaki guessed.

"Suppose it does… I mean, pretty much everything stems from _that_. But the problem now are the promises that arose from my situation." Machibuse responded.

"Promises?" Shiozaki quirked an eyebrow.

"We should get up; next stop is ours… You see, I got a few words I need to back up. One of those is on the riskier side of things as well, so I really shouldn't back away." Machibuse explained, doing his best to vent out without needing to explain about his relationship with Stain.

"But that is not all of it, right?" Shiozaki pushed, now both students on their feet as the train slowed down to a halt.

"Yeah, there is another promise, but that one was made to me… and it is one being fulfilled with a lot of care." Machibuse gave another sigh as he tossed the briefcase with his costume over his shoulder.

"Yaoyorozu-san. You and she have been set apart since what happened during the summer camp." Shiozaki concluded.

Machibuse just gave the girl by his side a mildly surprised look.

"We girls have our own group chat." Shiozaki confessed, a tinge of color coming to her cheeks. That group chat wasn't exactly the purest place in her social media, it had both Ashido and Tokage in there after all.

"I suppose I should not ask questions about it." Machibuse offered, now falling back to his usual protocol speech as they continued to walk towards the shuttle that would take them from the station to the U.A. campus. If anything that talk got him felling a little better about everything, helped him to take a step back and see things with other eyes.

"Please don't." Shiozaki took a short sigh.

The ride uphill towards U.A. was a short one. In matter of minutes both students had crossed the U.A. barrier and were in seeing distance from their respective dorms.

Not even ten minutes later both had arrived at the entrance to Class 1-B's dorms, Machibuse too polite to not walk a girl to her doorstep even if they were literally neighbors.

"Have a good night, Shiozaki-san. We meet at Edgeshot's agency tomorrow… and thank you for listening to my little rambling." Machibuse bowed lightly as the two parted ways.

"It is the least I can do. Please feel free to come to me if you need to confess anything." Shiozaki responded in her usual calm tone.

Machibuse now could return to his own residence within the campus, but just as he turned his back Shiozaki's voice called him once again.

"You should speak to her." she suggested with a short-lived smile before turning around and vanishing from view behind the hedge.

Machibuse just stood still for a moment.

Fall would come soon.

And that was not the only event on his calendar for the 23th of September.

-.

-.

 **September 17th, Tokyo, Nighteye Hero Agency, 0945.**

"Are you sure we need the kids? I'm going to say this only once… We're wondering if this Chisaki bastard is turning his daughter's body into bullets and selling them."

Tension inside the conference room was absolutely crushing after those words.

"N-no way…" Kirishima, Asui and Uraraka were left astonished as they tried to wrap their heads around such a heinous idea.

"We don't know if he is actually selling the bullets. At their current stage, their efficacy still seems to be too uncertain. However, if they are at the test stage, and he is using them as samples to bring more people and funds to his cause… even if we have no hard proof, you all can imagine what a completed drug that destroys Quirks will do to our society." Nighteye explained the urgency of the investigation.

"Just thinkin' it makes my blood boil! Let's go find him right now!" Fat Gum angrily voiced his opinion on the matter.

One of the pros was about to speak something, but a timid, shaky hand called for attention.

Amajiki Tamaki almost broke when he realized that all eyes in the room were upon him.

"We… may actually have… found our proof…" the timid teenager spoke with difficulty.

"Tamaki, what are you talking about!?" Fat Gum turned sharply towards his intern, surprise visible in his face.

"Ki-Kirishima-kun… after we returned from Kansai that night…" Amajiki gave the hint, hoping that Kirishima would pick up and explain everything in his place.

Kirishima stared at his senior for a second as he still processed everything that happened in that meeting.

Suddenly he got up to his feet and rushed to find his cellphone.

He was one call away from either confirming or denying all the tension regarding this girl named Eri.

-.

 **September 17th, Saitama Prefecture, Saitama City, Nishi Ward, 0950.**

Today was the big day. The investigation led by Detective Tanuma had led the heroes to a riverside complex in the neighboring prefecture and now they were on their way to meet with the members of the police force in order to begin the operation.

The last few days at Edgeshot's agency were partially taken by intense training. Nothing about pushing further into Machibuse's assassination technique; Kamihara decided that it wasn't his place to push the student forward in that area, but instead he choose to make sure that every other aspect of Machibuse's arsenal was on par with his real hand-to-hand fighting ability. Stealth, mobility, fighting fundamentals and, most importantly, self-restraint. Kamihara would make sure to, at every possible moment, to force Machibuse to be on the edge of his control.

One minor thing had gotten on White Rider's way however.

"Maybe something nice and shiny? Or maybe a nice dress… no, scratch the dress idea. Weather is turning cold soon, so get something for she would wear during winter?" Mt. Lady was unstoppable.

White Rider had been innocent enough to ask for suggestions for Momo's birthday gift.

That was about ten minutes ago, and since then Mt. Lady had been just bombarding him with ideas, even taking the time to point out where he could buy what.

"You really shouldn't take her advice on relationships…" Kamui Woods commented, sounding mildly tired about the noise as he continued to drive. Both he and Mt. Lady were at the front seats while White Rider and Vine were at the back seats. Edgeshot decided to sit in the trunk of the SUV, and somehow was tuning out everything with meditation as he faced the rear window of the vehicle.

"Come on, any girl would be happy with any of my suggestions." Mt. Lady defended herself.

"But all of those are things she could create with her Quirk." White Rider pointed out, now regretting ever asking for suggestions in the first place.

"Wait… she can just will a diamond into existence? How come she isn't a millionaire with a Quirk like that?" Mt. Lady snapped her head back, a clear glint of envy in her eyes.

"She already is. Using her Creation to make money would be redundant." White Rider clarified.

"Thankfully such a power has been bestowed upon someone that understands her responsibilities." Vine added, thankful that the conversation was heading to a close.

"So you are stuck trying to find a gift for someone who by default has everything she could possibly want." Mt. Lady concluded, doing her best to push past the injustices of Quirk society where one was born with the power to have everything and the other was just capable of getting very big.

"Give her something that goes beyond material value." Kamui Woods gave his honest opinion on the matter.

"Well, aren't you cheesy?" Mt. Lady teased with a grin.

Fortunately something came up to finally bury the topic.

Tsugaru music, coming from White Rider's pocket.

"Emergency call?" the intern asked confusedly as he fished the device from his pocket, a quick read of the message Kirishima had just sent signaled that things were not well.

People in the car became silent for a moment.

"Kirishima-san, something happened?" Machibuse asked as he took the call.

" _Machibuse! The drug that was shot on Amajiki! What was it made of!?"_ Kirishima quickly fired off the question.

"The police's examination is already done, correct?" Machibuse assumed. By the sound of Kirishima's voice the results were either as good as his diagnosis or the picture was just clear enough to make the possibility come up.

" _Its… human blood."_ Kirishima responded bitterly.

Machibuse was silent for a moment.

"It's a young girl's. Less than eight years old, given the low hormonal load… The sample also had absurd levels of cortisol, so she certainly has been under high levels of stress, both physical and mental, for quite a while." he gave the full diagnosis.

" _Shit, shit… you sure about that?"_ Kirishima asked for confirmation.

"My diagnosis is still a technique in development, so there is still an overall error margin of one point four per cent." Machibuse informed, mildly inconvenienced by the difficulty of perfecting that aspect of his Quirk.

" _Right, thank you…"_ Kirishima thanked before hanging up. His voice was troubled, very much so. Machibuse never had heard him like this.

The four other people in the car were still silent, the unspoken question hanging in the air.

"One of my classmates is interning under BMI Hero: Fat Gum. A couple of days ago he asked for my help when one of our upperclassmen ended up being hit with an unknown drug, and now he wanted my confirmation about what the police found out. Turns out that the drug had traces of human blood." White Rider explained, keeping the likely confidential details for now.

"From a child?" Edgeshot asked, now turning his head around.

"It was the result of my analysis. But I am afraid that I know little beyond that." the intern responded with a very subtle nod that he knew Kamihara would pick up on.

Edgeshot just turned his attention towards the window he had been facing since leaving the agency.

"We should arrive in a few minutes; the river is just two or three blocks away." Kamui Woods informed, prompting White Rider to begin reviewing his gear. This likely would be the last big mission before he turned in his bow to Hatsume for the upgrades she had mentioned.

Took the group a hundred and fifty seconds to reach their destination.

The target building was in plain view on the other side of the river, and stationed inside a store that seemed inconspicuous enough, just a few meters from the bridge the group would need to cross, was a detachment of about thirty people from the police department alongside a duo of local pros.

"Good to see you guys. It is going to be a busy morning…" Detective Tanuma greeted the main force behind today's operation.

"What is the situation, Detective?" Edgeshot asked.

"Not a very good, I'd say. Those guys apparently got spooked by something lately, so they are going around the place with a lot of firepower. The compound they are holed in used to be a small textile manufacturer, filed for bankruptcy about sixteen months ago. The building itself and the machines in there are tangled up in some legal mumbo jumbo, so people from the area never suspected about the guys coming in and out every two or three weeks to check on things. Turns out that our guys had been posing as agents from the prefecture employed to maintain the building while the case is open… they likely went through a lot of trouble to set up this bankruptcy situation, there were a lot of co-owners to that place, some even attesting to live abroad, and that meant that there were a bunch of contradictory testimonies and random accusations meant to drag the case for as long as possible." the detective explained, taking a small break in his speech to roll open the plant to the compound.

"Why would criminals file for bankruptcy like this?" Vine asked as she took a closer look at the map presented to her.

"People would start talking if they never saw any signs of activity inside a manufacturer that size and is not uncommon for both heroes and police to check up on abandoned buildings, and they wouldn't be able to turn on the lights without drawing attention. By using legal means to close the building and then posing as people related to the case to get in and out they managed to avoid both scenarios. Quite an ingenious little trick if you ask me." Detective Tanuma explained.

"And how our suspects were found out?" White Rider now was the one asking, eyes also going over the map.

The main building was large, about the size of a football pitch, and was divided into three floors interconnected by an industrial sized elevator and one set of stairs on each of the wider sides of the building. Ground level was mostly open in order to fit the larger machines, with the level above being comprised mostly by a catwalk that led to a large office that oversaw the machines below. The remaining floor was segmented into various rooms, that on paper seemed like they would be used for storage, but with criminals residing in that place it was easy to imagine that those were repurposed to be used as rooms for two to four people.

The property also had a small parking lot, with one truck and three civilian cars marked on the map, and a small sentry box by the main gate.

"Those two were on patrol duty two days ago when they spotted the truck going in, wasn't long before armed people began moving things inside the building." Detective Tanuma explained, now motioning towards the duo of local heroes.

"We actually live not too far from here, and that night was the first time I had ever seen a truck going in there. The fact that it was almost midnight made things suspicious, so we stood the night to keep an eye out for trouble." one of the heroes explained.

"Those guys even went through the extra effort of closing out the nearby storm drains with steel fences for some reason last night. But they don't seem to leave the building during the day." another added.

"They are shutting themselves in for some reason." Kamui Woods concluded.

"Makes our job easier if they can't escape through the sewers." Mt. Lady pointed out the benefits.

"Very well. We'll leave the lockdown under your care then, cut the most likely escape routes in case someone gets out into the street. It is not the most glamorous position, but it is a task I can only trust to you." Edgeshot began laying the strategy as he addressed the duo.

"Right!" the duo responded in unison.

"I will breach the building from above and clear the rooms; Kamui Woods and Vine will assist about ten of you to reach the roof of the building, so you can come with me. After that they will join Mt. Lady and breach the ground level alongside the remainder of the police force. Take control of this side of the building first, this way we can prevent the criminals from reaching the parking lot." he added, now turning his attention towards the police detachment and all but one of the members of his team.

The response from the larger group was also a positive, a mix of "yessirs" and "rogers" that soon was followed by a group of volunteers from the police force accepting the task of breaching through the top floor.

"Rider, the second floor will provide you with a vantage point to assist on taking control of the ground floor. Think you can clear the main office and secure the floor by yourself? We need the catwalks under control before the main force can push through, and the control room for the cameras is most likely located there as well." Edgeshot finally concluded his plan, his focus now on his intern.

"Yes, Sir!" White Rider responded firmly.

"Good. We will breach both the top and ground floors at once the moment you give us the signal." Edgeshot cleared the last small detail.

There was a small pause, the last few moments before the storm.

"Let's do it then. Kid, you're up." Edgeshot set the operation in motion.

White Rider gave a short nod and quickly headed out towards the bridge.

"You sure place a lot of trust on that one." Detective Tanuma commented as the door closed.

"He may not be the fastest or the strongest around, but it is hard to find someone as skilled as him when it comes down to covert operations. He will likely come to surpass my stealth in a few of years, and not only because he is more ingenious than me." Edgeshot explained, his only visible eye following the hooded teenager across the bridge.

White Rider continued walk casually across the bridge between home base and the target. Running wasn't a good idea given that if there were people behind the windows of the compound they would come to suspect something if they spotted a hero running.

Once he reached the other side of the river, the teen calmly crossed the street and moved away from the target. As soon as he was out of sight he jumped down into the riverbank and now hurried towards his destination.

A tall concrete wall stood between the hero in training and the compound.

Two steps back.

One deep breath.

White Rider ran towards the barrier and soon was about to reach the top edge. He slowed down, now pressing both his hands against the concrete just under the point of no return.

Slowly he peeked over the edge. The parking lot was devoid of people but there were as pair of security cameras perched on the opposing wall. The criminals were being careful about something, so neutralizing a camera would risk the operation as someone could come to check on a missing feed. He dropped from the wall, it was a bad angle of attack so he would need to circle the compound to find a better entry point.

Two more times he went trough the same motions in order to find a weakness, and third time was the charm: There were still security cameras, but one of them was clearly out of order as indicated by the bird's nest resting on it.

"I've just cleared the outer wall. No signs of movement on the external areas, but there are two cameras on the wall facing towards the river. One of the cameras on the north side of the building is down and there are no windows that face the entry point." White Rider informed over the com as he jumped down and quickly pressed his back against the wall.

There was an access ladder on the outside of the building, but it was clearly rusted and poorly maintained. He would be better off climbing.

Soon enough the hero in training reached the edge of the roof. As usual he peeked before heading in.

Not that he needed to do it this time, as he could hear people mumbling. Two men, not carrying any visible weapons. Both were slumped against the metallic structure of the unused machinery vents on the roof.

Four bottles of cheap beer were tossed around near them.

Morale in the enemy camp was very low apparently.

White Rider slowly crossed over the railing on the edge of the roof. It was time to kick them while they were down.

One arrow loaded.

One arrow released.

 _"Hey, slug-breath!"_

Both targets quickly jumped to their feet.

Unaware, both were quickly tagged from behind by the Chelicerae and were paralyzed on the floor less than five seconds later.

White Rider took his time to retrieve his Speaker Arrow before knocking both out and then dragging their unconscious forms behind vents.

"I am inside the building; the roof access is unlocked. I left two hostiles behind the vents, tied them both with their belts and they will be out for a while." he informed over the com once more.

" _Good job, continue straight for your objective. We are already moving towards the compound from the north side."_ Edgeshot responded.

"Roger."

Each step was made with care. White Rider had the luck to run into a single hostile heading towards his smoke break. Quickly disarmed of his lighter and cigarette box and sent into slumber... Biggest issue had been actually carrying that one back towards where the other two were sleeping.

There were a few more voices on the third floor, so the invader took the opportunity to eavesdrop. Free intel should never be ignored.

"So, what'as the body count again? Ten?" one of the criminals asked, this one clearly drunk.

"Twelve, the two guys that managed to escaped died in the hospital." Another voice responded tiredly.

There was a groan as a something moved around the corner.

"Keep an eye on him, I gotta take a leak and I really don't want to deal with this guy breaking anything just because he is hammered." a third voice approached, this one sounded big.

White Rider quickly snapped his head back, the bathroom door behind him.

Target incoming.

The massive man turned the corner, partially unzipping his jeans as he made it towards the toilet.

Nothing but an empty hallway.

Not empty actually, someone had dropped a crumpled one-thousand-yen bill on the floor.

Lucky find.

The man continued on his quest for relief, unaware of the hooded figure clinging to the ceiling above and just barely out of view from his eyes, focused on the money down below.

Close call.

White Rider dropped down quietly once the bathroom door was finally closed. Onwards to the objective.

"Update: There is a third criminal sleeping on the rooftop now. Enemy morale is very low, they apparently lost twelve people recently. I have found one drunk in the top floor and there are empty bottles scattered around the area, so maybe there are more heavy drinkers in here." White Rider whispered over the com.

He had reached the catwalks, people were scattered around the ground floor, about twenty hostiles. Most were engaged in chit-chat, some were playing cards, all had weapons within arm's length.

" _So this is why they were on a hurry to move. Someone must've kicked them out of their territory."_ Kamui Woods theorized.

" _Aaanyway, how is your journey coming along? We are waiting by the wall already."_ Mt. Lady asked, a little impatient to get into action.

"I am crossing the catwalk now. We should be clear to move into the next phase as soon as I get inside the office." White Rider responded, crouched low to the ground as he inched closer to his destination.

" _Kamui Woods and Vine, get our people in position."_ Edgeshot gave the order.

" _So, how exactly do you plan on getting in there?"_ Mt. Lady asked, her com picking up some extra noise as action began.

White Rider took a minute or two to respond, he had been trying to figure out how many people were inside that office by pressing his ear against the door. Three different voices in total, but there surely were more people in there.

In the meantime he began loading his Explosive Arrow with a knock-out drug.

"I have learned a few secret techniques from Edgeshot." he responded, his voice mildly amused.

" _What?"_ multiple people inquired.

The trainee cleared his throat and knocked on the door.

"Oi, the guys are thinking about ordering pizza, from that Pizza-La store that opened downtown. Y'all gonna want some?" White Rider spoke loudly as he knocked the arrow on his bow. His voice even cracked during the stunt.

"… _I can't tell if I'm feeling proud or disappointed."_ Edgeshot admitted after a short silence in their frequency.

Kamui Woods did his best to not laugh.

" _Is this some inside joke I'm not into?"_ Mt. Lady asked, puzzled about that unexpected sequence.

" _I'm afraid we both are… The police force is already in position."_ Vine informed, her tone still serious, even if a little confused.

The door to the office opened.

The arrow immediately flew in.

"Phase one completed." White Rider informed as he watched the criminals recoiling from the sudden impact, including the one guy sitting at the security station where the camera feeds were being displayed.

" _On the count of five!_ " Edgeshot gave the order.

White Rider quickly kicked the man that had opened the door backwards and rushed inside.

A total of six people were inside the office. Four of them would be hitting the ground within the next twenty seconds, three who clearly got struck by the blast and the unfortunate doorman, who was still recovering.

" _Four!"_

The one closer to the security terminal rushed back to ring the alarm.

" _Three!"_

The hero in training vaulted over the fallen doorman, using his opponent's shoulders to springboard forward.

" _Two!"_

One of the criminals who managed to escape the blast pointed a finger at the hooded figure that attack them, a faint red glow building up at the end of the digit.

" _One!"_

White Rider twisted in the air as a thin beam of red light whizzed over his head and impacted the wooden wall, leaving a small burn mark. Quickly adjusting his momentum, the invader rolled forward and kicked, successfully tripping the man that tried to reach for the alarm.

" _Go!"_

There was a thundering sound outside the office as Mt. Lady kicked the gate to the ground floor open.

Gunfire filled the air for an instant as vines and branches reached out for the criminals.

The last criminal in the office, the one standing the furthest from the door, threw himself behind a desk after picking something up from a box near the wall.

White Rider quickly rolled to his feet as he continued to evade the red laser. Each shot took about a second to charge up, so it was just a matter of leading the enemy aim away. Luckily being hard to predict was something that the intern had on his skillset.

One weave to the left.

One feint to the right.

In an instant he was already in close range and with a swift kick to the wrist he gained the definitive upper hand.

Before the laser Quirk user managed to pull his aim back down, the attacker took hold of his arm with one hand, Chelicerae springing into action, as the other gripped the criminal by the collar of his shirt.

The man's back was impacting the floor before he even knew, air forcefully being knocked out of his lungs. By the time he managed to get back to his feet the drug would've kicked in.

One hostile remained.

White Rider turned his attention towards the desk.

His eyes shoot wide open as he realized that the desk was being hurled in his direction.

He threw himself onto the floor, reaching for his back when he realized what was about to happen.

The man that had begun the fight by hiding away now had a vial of Trigger stuck to the side of his bulging neck. By now he was a mass of purplish muscle ready to charge forward.

The teen reacted by tossing a handful of caltrops between himself and his opponent.

The drug-boosted enemy charged forward, to high to even feel the metal spikes puncturing the soles of his shoes as he ran. That was if the caltrops managed to pierce his skin through the footwear.

The teen barely had time to roll away as his opponent crashed violently into the wall, leaving a hole to the outside world.

" _What is happening up there?"_ Mt. Lady asked alarmed.

"One of the hostiles is on Trigger. My chemicals should be able to put him down once his system returns to normal, but I need to stall for time." White Rider responded, now back on his feet and his bow at ready.

" _We got two of those here in the top floor, shouldn't take long to deal with them…"_ Edgeshot informed, but someone interrupted him with an immediate solution.

" _Send this sinner my way."_ Vine rose to the challenge.

"I might just take you up on that offer, ma'am. Eyes up!" White Rider agreed, now making a run for the window that oversaw the ground floor.

The crazed enemy pried himself from the wall and prepared to charge again.

An arrow flew through the glass and into the ceiling above, and soon after the villain bursted through the office wall and into the empty space between the catwalks.

Vaulting over was White Rider, one of his Wire Arrows now firmly anchoring him to the floor above. He reached for the satchel on his lower back and picked up as many caltrops as his hand could hold.

"Vine!" he shouted, now throwing the metallic spikes down before jumping away.

Vine was quick to pick up on the plan, her hair now wrapping around the falling enemy whilst also picking up the caltrops coated in White Rider's knock-out drug. The struggling villain would be left with no choice between standing still and being restrained or trying to fight his way out and fall prey to the caltrops.

"Nachash." she proclaimed after a moment to think.

The man trapped into the vines soon ran out of juice.

"The serpent from the Garden of Eden. Really?" White Rider asked tiredly as he swung lazily upside down, the cable wrapped around his leg. The fight now over.

"It was a deceitful and venomous attack, Horse of Plague. Certainly has fitting name now." Vine explained her choice.

The only response she received was a deep sigh, as apparently now Machibuse had a combination super move.

The entire phase two of the operation was over in just one hundred and fifty seconds. A total of thirty-two people were arrested and two-hundred and fourteen vials of Trigger apprehended. Now it was a matter of having the police interrogating the criminals in order to find out what happened and where their Tokyo warehouse was.

"Need any help getting down from there, Rider?" Edgeshot asked as he made his way onto the catwalks.

"Permission to break protocol, Sir?" White Rider asked.

"Granted."

"I can get down just fine, but if someone would be kind enough to help I wouldn't be against it. One of these guys has my lunch money and I want it back."

-.

 **September 17th, Tokyo, Location Unknown, 2305.**

A stream of blue flames filled the dinky alleyway.

Dabi gritted his teeth as he watched the thing that had shown up to mess with his business clawing it's way up into a wall. The jerky and erratic motions made it seem a lot less dangerous than it was.

"The hell is wrong with this thing?" the villain asked out loud despite the fact that he was the only one in that alley.

The only one alive that is. Dabi's usual job of prospecting members for the League of Villains had led him to a few people that night when the seemingly defective Nomu jumped out from the gutter and began tearing the small bunch of criminals gathered in the shadows.

Dabi surely would've turned them into burning corpses, so it wasn't really a big loss for him.

It was just that the damn thing wanted to rip him to shreds as well.

Nomu always looked weird, but that one was just off. Lanky and emaciated, it stood at around two and a half meters tall, but the hunchback posture lightly crooked to the right made it hard to say for sure. It's oily jet-black skin was riddled with small holes, almost like someone had hammered a dozen of climbing pitons all over it. It also had about a dozen more spikes embedded into it's flesh, light brown colored spikes of various sizes, some clearly going through vital parts of the human anatomy such as through the exposed brain and into the back of the head. The holes surely had been caused by those. The back of it's right calf apparently had been bitten off by a shark or something else with a wide mouth filled with sharp teeth, bleached bone clearly visible through the deep wound.

All in all it looked like it had gone through a few rounds inside the world's angriest blender.

The Nomu had very long arms with two elbows each, so long in fact that it had to drag it's hands across the floor when it walked only on its legs, and each hand was gifted with a set of five claws, each about as long as a man's forearm.

It's mouth was a gaping maw with rows of mismatched, jagged teeth and a single dimly lit lump at the tip of its tongue, almost like an anglerfish. Now stained with blood from the unfortunate criminals it had attacked.

And most importantly, the thing stank to high hell. It had a pungent smell of brine mixed with ammonia and fish, and the fact that the creature had been dwelling in the sewers didn't help either.

The Nomu leashed out, claws swinging wildly and leaving deep gouges into the brick walls of the alleyway.

Dabi countered with a wall of fire to halt the advance.

In the distance the familiar sounds of heroes and police arriving caused the villain to make a hasty escape after one final attack that had more to do with burning up the corpses and possible evidence than killing the rogue Nomu.

The last thing Dabi managed to see through the flames was the Nomu spearing one of the less burnt corpses with one of its hands before diving back inside the sewers with the fruits of its work.

The villain hastily moved to a secure location and before long had managed to find a phone booth far enough away from that alley.

Dabi quickly punched the numbers into the dial.

"Oi Spinner, ask the boss if he wouldn't happen to know about a crazy Nomu living in the sewer, yeah?"

…

..

.

 _ **AN: So here we go, this might be the last chapter of the year. I may be able to squeeze another one after Christmas, but if that isn't the case I hope you all have a merry whatever it is that you celebrate.**_

 _ **Never really expected to see something I began writing on a whim making it from January through December. I will try to get some more art to celebrate, I'm thinking about the shitty Nomu and Hakame.**_

 _ **See you all next chapter.**_


	49. The Unexpected

_**So another year… how many of those there are? This is getting bad already. Regardless, welcome to the first chapter of 2020, where tension is through the roof and the payoff is just maybe what you guys want.**_

-.

 **September 18th, Tokyo, Jonanjima, Tokyo Bay, 1030.**

Shiozaki had been lucky to miss the event; Kamui Woods had a scheduled interview on a radio show and his intern would tag along. Today was supposed to be just a follow up on yesterday's success; just get in, make sure the place was the gang's warehouse and close the case.

The girl was plenty strong, but the scene was just too much for someone that young. Mt. Lady could hardly look at it, and some members of the small police regiment that accompanied the heroes were even gagging. The testimony collected from the arrested criminals yesterday had warned about what was to be expected, but the frightened words of those men and women couldn't possibly convey the actual situation.

Gore.

Nothing else could describe what the heroes and the police found once they opened the garage door of the dingy warehouse that had been pointed to them by the criminals they had arrested.

There was blood everywhere. Chunks of ripped flesh littered the floor. Pieces of many different victims loosely bunched together, some picked clean to the bone.

They had been dead for about a week now, and thankfully the weather hadn't been all that warm over these few days, so the stench was far from the worst it could've possibly been.

Still, it was another smell that assaulted Machibuse's senses. A combination he was made too familiar with years ago: Ammonia, blood and saltwater… just missing the scent of smoke and the red emergency lights and this carnage would be just like the one he walked into at the Murakumo's cargo bay.

This couldn't be…

"Figures why those guys were in such a hurry to leave this place." Detective Tanuma broke the oppressive silence.

"You said what did this was one of the League's artificial humans." Edgeshot spoke, now carefully entering the building.

White Rider's attention quickly shifted to the policeman.

"Interrogation said that a monster like the ones that attacked Hosu was the responsible for this mess. Partially exposed brain, mouth like a deep-sea angler fish, long arms that ended in bladed fingers. Kept repeating words like "food" and "hunger" in a…" the detective explained but his description was cut off.

"It spoke in a muffled grow and smelled like seawater and ammonia." White Rider completed the sentence, his voice dead serious.

"The guys said it was more like brine and ammonia, but you got the rest right... What's the deal, kiddo?" Detective Tanuma questioned, a mix of surprise and concern visible on his expression.

"Classified information, detective. I need to reach out to the Ministry of Defense. Top priority should be to locate this angler Nomu before it does any more harm." White Rider responded bluntly, now walking deeper inside the warehouse to find any possible leads. He had a good idea about where to look already.

The detective just turned towards Edgeshot, the unspoken question all over his face.

"Okay everyone, top down search! Lock the street and call in the guys in charge of biohazard clean-up! I want everything in here logged by the time they arrive!" Detective Tanuma turned around to address his men. The police still had a job to do regardless of what was happening between the U.A. kid and this Nomu.

With a short sigh, the Ninja Hero followed his intern.

"The bolts that held this plate to the floor were severed from underneath, if the target is using the sewers to move undetected then it would justify why the criminals we apprehended choose to lock down the gutters around their location. Something sharp was dragged back and forth from this point and most of the trails of blood also lead to the sewer access… this Nomu is likely carnivore and took some of its quarry with it." White Rider spoke without taking his eyes from the hatch that sat by the far corner of the building. Perhaps it was an emergency escape route that the criminals had installed, but it had turned into the doorway for their demise.

The thin metal sheet was clearly shredded at the hinges and locks. Rust gave it away that the metal had been very poorly maintained over the years, but if that Nomu managed to cleave through something that hard than it was no surprised that it's victims were hacked to pieces.

"Tokyo's sewer system is possibly the largest in the world. We are going to need a team in order to sweep through it." the teen continued, now leaning closer to the ground to take a peek into the dark tunnel.

"Why do you know about this Nomu?" Edgeshot questioned in a stern and almost demanding tone unusual of him, ignoring the investigation his intern was conducting.

Machibuse remained silent for a moment.

"Because I am certain it was the thing that took my mother away from me." he responded with boiling rage subtly lining his immaculate protocol speech once he concluded that no one other than Kamihara would hear him.

The "and I want it dead" at the end of that sentence was left well implied.

"I will see that this Nomu is tracked down." Kamihara nodded in accordance.

Machibuse had just turned to thank his boss, but the man spoke once more.

"You are off the case." Kamihara decided.

"What!?" Machibuse now snapped to his feet to face the man besides him face to face.

"I've made it my responsibility to help you with your past and ensure that you remain safe; I would be going against both these duties if I allowed you to proceed." Kamihara reasoned, tone still firm.

Machibuse couldn't put it in words, but he couldn't break as well. His fist tightened, a small trickle of blood now oozing out of his right glove as the Chelicerae in his palm dug onto his fingers.

"The decision is final. Are we clear, Rider?"

"Crystal, Sir..."

-.

 **September 19th,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, Courtyard, 1030.**

Machibuse had missed days like these. Lazy, unnoteworthy days where he was allowed to just do the bare minimum. It had happened once or twice since the beginning of the year, but today had been one of the very few occasions where Class 1-A was given a day off from classes; apparently the second years would be doing some sort of test today, and that required full attention from the teachers.

Never to complain about a day off, Machibuse had done his morning routine, had ran his sixteen kilometers around the campus and followed it with breakfast. The last couple of hours had been dedicated to reading and, whenever the book got a little too boring, napping.

Sure, he could've done that in his room, but the weather was just so nice and mild he felt obligated to enjoy the grass of the courtyard. A soft green cushion against his back and the cool shade cast by the girl's side of the dorm.

Things were pretty much perfect…

Well, as perfect as they could be given the situation with that _thing_ on the loose. But Machibuse learned over the years to just bottle everything back inside and keep on keeping on. He had to.

But it was hard.

Those thoughts just wouldn't him alone.

Machibuse took a deep breath and flipped to the next page, the four light pink band-aids tipping his fingers contrasting heavily against the white of the paper. They were stamped with all kinds of cutesy things, from hearts to kittens and flowers.

The first-aid kit had run out of the adhesive bandages, but Hagakure had a few to spare in her bag.

Then something slowly came up on his peripheral vision.

"Mind if I join you? The girls are trying to think of something for my birthday and I am not allowed to hear it." Momo asked with an amused smile on her lips and a rather impressive tome on her hands.

"Should I join them?" Hakuba offered, now eyeing her from underneath his book.

"I'm pretty sure that they are already thinking of ways to set us up, you would just polarize their planning." Momo chuckled as she now stopped nearby.

"Well, may I?" she repeated her question.

"I do not own the courtyard by any means." Hakuba responded, shimming to the side a little to give Momo some room in the shade.

"Except between you waking up and leaving to run." Momo pointed out as she sat down.

"In my defense I have invited plenty of people to join me since we moved into the dorms. It just seems like my classmates aren't fond of early morning exercise." Hakuba retorted, now returning his eyes to the pages in front of him.

They were close, but there still was a seemingly insurmountable gap between them. In other ways beyond just their positions.

Both of them just kept silent for the majority of their time together and neither of them would deny that things were a little bit awkward. It was surprisingly rare for them to be alone now that they shared their living space with another eighteen people, and this had been the first time it was just the two of them since they actively began rekindling their relationship from the meltdown that followed Kamino.

That went on for about half an hour, Hakuba laying on the grass and Momo sitting just within arm's reach. Both occasionally glancing at one another when they were sure they weren't being watched.

What actually broke their silence was when their eyes happened to meet.

"Umm.. W-what got you to pick up a hero encyclopedia?" Momo scrambled, truth be told she had been eyeing the bandaged fingers. She knew something had happened but wasn't sure about asking; things were still a little iffy, and maybe she would be treading somewhere she was not supposed to.

"Ah… this. I have decided to try to gather up some intel on people I might run into while on the job. I ended up working with a number people from schools other than ours during the provisional license exam, and it dawned on me then that not knowing what possible teammates can do is quite a big problem… By chance I saw what one of students from Ketsubutsu was capable of, and that changed the entire scenario back at the rescue camp." Hakuba explained, not exactly expecting such a question.

"So you are now forcing yourself to learn." Momo concluded, now peeking at the book with more care.

"It is not like I will have Midoriya-san nearby to provide me with exposition whenever it seems necessary." Hakuba joked without changing his tone as he shifted his eyes back to his book.

Momo eyes lingered on him for a moment longer.

She took a deep breath.

"What happened?" Momo dared to ask, concern clear in her voice and expression.

Hakuba just remained silent.

"You did that thing again… whenever you get stressed you just start clenching your hand… sometimes on your shoulder, sometimes just as a fist. And you hurt yourself when you do that…" Momo continued, now reluctantly crossing into the no-man's land that had divided them up until now.

"You don't have to tell me why, I just want to know if you are oka…"

"You heard her… she was dying, she was in so much pain…"

It took Momo a moment to put everything together, just who Hakuba was talking about during that rare outburst of angst.

"That thing is still out there, Momo… the thing that took my mother from me escaped the Murakumo somehow." Hakuba continued, now resting the book over his face to hide his eyes.

"The one from the cargo bay?" Momo asked, the tale she had heard from him now playing back in her head.

"It is a Nomu. The description I got checks every box."

"Does that mean…?" Momo tensed, while the possibility of All For One's involvement in the events of that night was never discarded, it was still hard to believe.

"And both Edgeshot and the hag have forbidden me from going after it!" Hakuba slowly took both hands from the book over his eyes, least the Chelicerae in his hands ripped holes into it.

"They are right. You really shouldn't…" Momo responded reluctantly.

"I know they are right… but I want to murder that thing… I _need_ to! It deservers nothing less than death!" Hakuba continued venting out his anger, struggling to not rise his voice any louder.

Dim light slowly washed over his face.

"Vengeance is not for you…" Momo spoke softly as she picked up the book so she could see his face.

There he was again, with that expression locked in neutral trying to hide away everything. Eyes speaking volumes about his anger as he adamantly kept his tears to himself.

"You will never move on if you just rush back to try fixing what happened all those years ago, Hakuba. Please, if you fall off like this then there is no telling if you will ever come back…" Momo continued, her fingers now tenderly running through his hair.

" _Because you swore to me that you will not strand from the path. You cannot allow yourself to fall for the same reckless revenge that got your friend Ingenium to confront me in Hosu."_

Chizome's words echoed inside Hakuba's mind. It was weird to think that of all people; the Hero Killer would be the one to get his feeling so spot on.

"Doing things the right way is hard." Hakuba admitted, now turning slightly as to face Momo. She was so very close.

"That's why people share their burdens, idiot…" Momo chuckled as she caressed his cheek with the back of her fingers.

Took Hakuba a moment to respond to that, things in his mind were still a mess.

He was still angry. He still wanted to go against his better judgment and hunt his target. He still wanted to gut that Nomu open. He still was torn with the consequences of giving into this desire.

It was all very confusing, but he was pretty sure about one thing.

Slowly Hakuba reached for his book and got his back off the grass.

Momo pulled her hand back, but before she could say anything she was surprised by Hakuba now laying back down with his head on her lap.

Hakuba knew that Momo brought peace to his mind, and he needed a whole lot of that right now.

No more words were exchanged between them.

No more words were needed.

-.

 **September 19th, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, Gym Delta, 1600.**

Tetsutetsu wasn't even sure about what just happened.

In an instant he was throwing a right hook, in the next he was with his back against the floor and trying to not tap out.

"Flying armbar? Guess I should've seen that one coming from you…" Kendo commented amusedly from the sidelines.

"I can show you the motions if you want, but I assume that you have techniques more suited to your Quirk than something like this." Machibuse offered nonchalantly, gradually increasing the pressure over Tetsutetsu's shoulder, elbow and wrist.

"I do but it doesn't hurt to learn." Kendo responded.

"I CAN GUARANTEE YOU THAT IT REALLY FUCKING HURTS!" Tetsutetsu shouted as he continued to try wrestling himself free.

The struggle continued for about ten more seconds before he finally gave up.

"I told you that you wouldn't like this, but you insisted to come." Kendo sighed as she watched her classmate being pulled back to his feet.

"How was I supposed to know he was going to do this ninja shit the second I missed a punch!?" Tetsutetsu complained.

"You weren't supposed to know; submission holds are much more effective when the target doesn't have time to react." Machibuse responded the rhetorical question.

Tetsutetsu just stared back, an appropriate response not coming to his mind.

"So, what's the trick? I got that you crossed over his head with your leg, but I didn't manage to see you were doing on the other side." Kendo asked, now taking a fighting stance.

"The trick is on getting above your opponent. What I usually do is stepping into my opponent immediately after parrying, either on the tight or hipbone. If you trust your leg strength you can just jump, but in my case stepping also helps with delivering chemicals." Machibuse explained as he slowly did the climbing motion on her.

"After this you just throw your other leg around and pull in." Kendo concluded after watching the rather aggressive footwork a couple of times.

"Heavier or stronger opponents don't always fall, but gravity still locks them into place. If Tetsutetsu-san had his Quirk active or managed to brace for the pull he would likely be still on his feet by the end of the attack." Machibuse added.

"And how can I _not_ get caught in one of these? Just so I know." Tetsutetsu now chirped in, his eyes following as Kendo tried that climbing herself.

"Not taking Quirks in consideration? You just need to stop the opponent's leg from crossing over your head. It is better if you can stop the jump altogether by pulling away, but if that is not possible you can just rise your free arm to block. A flying armbar is far from being a safe counter, once the motion begins it is easy to end up without making the cross up and face first into the floor." Machibuse responded, his hand doing a slow circular motion that stopped suddenly as if to illustrate the scenario.

"Huh, seems simple enough…" Tetsutetstu nodded.

"Mind if try?" Kendo asked, clearly going through the motion inside her head.

"Please do." Machibuse responded, now preparing to throw a punch for her to counter.

Kendo blocked perfectly, and quickly pressed one of her feet firmly against Machibuse's tight. In a sharp twist she jumped and threw her leg over.

Her grip failed a little.

It was an awkward fall, but Kendo's training made it a harmless one.

"Ok, it's harder than it looks…" Kendo admitted as she rolled off her back and dusted herself off.

"Edgeshot is a much better teacher than me. There are a lot of small details that I grossed over in the explanation." Machibuse spoke in an apologetical tone as he offered a hand to Kendo.

"Don't worry, I got good feeling of what I did wrong. Got a little scared about just throwing myself into the air like this and everything fell apart from there…" Kendo sighed, but she was determined to get the move right.

"Guess I'm gonna try it as well… I mean, looks really cool." Tetsutetsu scratched his chin.

"Now that you speak about it, shouldn't you be with Edgeshot? I caught Ibara leaving for her internship after lunch." Kendo pointed out as she allowed Tetsutetsu to try the climbing motion on her.

His footwork was questionable to say the least.

"Edgeshot has ordered me to take a few days off. The situation after our latest investigation was concluded got… sensible." Machibuse responded, discomfort hidden for now.

"Ibara told us that you guys ended up finding something too big for interns to handle, so both of you ended up off the case." Kendo explained.

"Yeah, she didn't seem to know why though… just told us that Kamui Woods pulled her out of an investigation." Tetsutetsu added, focused on trying to get the move right and failing the first step.

"Shiozaki-san wasn't there when we moved into this next phase. And it is classified information, so I am not allowed to disclose details of what I saw… she should be only on training and patrol duty from today until the end of our internships, and I don't think I will get involved in anymore investigations there as well… Tetsutetsu-san, try skipping the first step and focus on the jump. Flexibility is not your strong suit." Machibuse explained, shifting his focus away from the investigation and into something much less stressful.

"Like this?" Tetsutetsu dared, now taking a rather unrefined leap with much more force than necessary, resulting in him landing on his stomach.

"You should stick to what All Might-sensei told you back before we took the provisional license exam… just bulldoze through things, it's way easier for you…" Kendo pointed out.

" _Isn't that the same advice All Might-sensei gave to Kirishima-san… ah, of course it is."_ Machibuse quirked an eyebrow.

Tetsutetsu just grumbled as he rolled over.

"At least this break you got will give you enough time to think on a gift. Ibara told me that you were struggling." Kendo chuckled as she turned towards Machibuse.

"Still am." Machibuse sighed, shoulders slumping.

"Looking for something special? I gotta say that you two looked pretty close while reading." Kendo teased.

"How come you know about that?" Machibuse turned towards her, his expression mildly confused.

"One of the girls from your class, not giving away any names here, uploaded a really interesting photo on our private chat earlier today."

"…Dare I ask what happens in this group chat you girls have?"

-.

 **September 21th,** **Tokyo, In Transit Towards Nighteye Hero Agency, 1235.**

The ride had been rather tense for Midoriya. His arms held his backpack tightly against his chest as he mumbled something against the fabric.

Sir Nighteye gave him a vital task today.

Midoriya looked up for a moment, then resumed his mumbling.

Machibuse sat across from him, idly scrolling on his phone in search of a gift.

"Machibuse-san…" Midoriya finally spoke up. The tension in his voice somewhat reminding Machibuse from their first meeting right before U.A.'s entrance exam.

Machibuse just kept silent, now storing the phone back inside his pocked as he waited for the incoming question.

"How… how do you deal with this?" Midoriya asked, his heel tapping against the floor nervously.

"You will need to more specific, Midoriya-san." Machibuse quirked an eyebrow as he began reading his classmate's expression and body language.

Midoriya had been acting really off since a few days ago. Not only him, but Kirshima, Asui and Uraraka as well. If his intuition served him right, Machibuse could say that his classmates found something dark. The brief conversation he had with Kirishima over the phone four days ago likely had a role in that.

"The tension, this sensation that everything is on the verge of collapsing… the feeling of dread." Midoriya explained, now leaning his cheek over his backpack, eyes lost somewhere deep into the empty train.

"This conversation Sir Nighteye wants to have with me is not about to be a pleasant one, I assume." Machibuse inquired.

The only response Midoriya gave was a faint shake of his head.

Machibuse took a deep breath.

"You do not have to fight it, Midoriya-san. No one is invulnerable." Machibuse offered.

"Huh?" Midoriya now turned to meet his eyes.

"You asked me how I deal with these feelings. The answer is that I simply don't… I am not allowed to break like this, and since I am not strong enough I just avoid everything. It is that simple for me, but I can hardly recommend that you take such a path, things only get harder." Machibuse responded, his façade dropping for a moment.

He threw his head back, eyes now meeting the the roof of the train.

"This is how you ensure that a soldier never diverts from protocol: you chip away until only reason and efficiency are left… there are burdens that are only possible to bear alone when you leave what you feel out if the equation." Machibuse continued.

"I failed someone… how can I accept _this_ without making it up to her?" Midoriya admitted bitterly.

"The girl that is being used for that drug. Something happened between the two of you and you blame yourself for it." Machibuse guessed.

A guess that was spot on, given how Midoriya recoiled from those words.

"If this failure is holding you back, then you are more than capable of correcting it. You are the next Symbol of Peace, after all." Machibuse offered his best motivational speech as the train began slowing down. They were close to their destination.

Midoriya wasn't feeling it though.

Machibuse sighed as they both walked towards the door.

"You saw the mess I was right before the Sports Festival. The day before that I ended up passing out on the floor of my bathroom after what was a hellish night of insomnia... When I asked Momo what I was supposed to do she simply told me to do my best. Having someone believing you makes a lot of difference." Machibuse told, that day had been a mess, but something good came out of it in the end.

"Someone that believes in me?" Midoriya repeated, mildly surprised.

"Permission to break protocol?" Machibuse asked, carefully looking around to see if someone was close enough to hear his next words.

Midoriya just nodded.

"I may not amount to much, but honestly I've never doubted that you would go places… remembering your entrance exam now that I know about this One For All thing makes it really clear. I mean, you saved my life back in Kamino when I tried to kill myself… You are either going to the top or to a madhouse, Deku." Machibuse smiled as he spoke words from his heart.

Those words surely caught Midoriya off-guard, given that he almost failed to step out of the train, and before he managed to rewind them in his head Machibuse was already back to his protocol.

Machibuse never came close to breaching his protocol like that again as they continued their journey towards the Nighteye Agency… It took Midoriya a while to recover, his flustered face earning a few stares from the civilians around.

Soon they had arrived at a building much more modest than the one owned by Edgeshot and greeted by a well-dressed man that looked much like a centipede and had a voice absolutely unfitting of his menacing looks. Sir Nighteye's office was just a floor away.

The room was dark, the only light source inside it being a computer screen. Illuminated by it was a man with dead serious eyes fitting of his businessman look.

"So this is the one capable of identifying the Quirk-Erasing Drug." Sir Nighteye spoke as he now reached for the light switch.

There was an obscene amount of All Might paraphernalia everywhere.

"Yessir." Midoriya responded quickly.

"Machibuse Hakuba, at your orders, Sir." Machibuse introduced himself with a sharp bow.

"Not yet… I have already spoken with Edgeshot, but I want to hear it from you. This investigation is far from a normal one; are you sure you want to take part in it?" Sir Nighteye asked, his tone hard as if to intimidate the student in front of him.

"I was told that my Quirk can turn the scenario around. It is my duty to help." Machibuse remained firm.

Sir Nighteye pondered for a second. He then suddenly turned to Midoriya.

"Very serious, isn't he?" the pro asked in a stern tone himself, apparently it was some sort of inside joke in this office.

"Regardless… You are right about how your Quirk can make or break this operation, you surely would be high on my assistance request if you were registered on the Hero Network. If you are sure about this then it is best if I fill you in about the details. What do you know?" Sir Nighteye asked, now turning back towards Machibuse.

"There is a new drug, capable of temporarily erasing someone's Quirk. It is produced from the blood cells of a young girl, very likely against her will." Machibuse responded, leaving out the part about how he found out that Midoriya and this girl had already met.

"The people behind the development of this drug are the members of a yakuza group known as the Shie Hassaikai. They are apparently at the testing stage of this new drug, and everything points towards their objective being something capable of completely destroying someone's Quirk factor. The young head of the Hassaikai is a man by the name of Chisaki Kai, who goes by the alias of Overhaul. We have information on the most prominent members of this group, but Overhaul is the main player here." Sir Nighteye began the explanation, now reaching for the screen of his computer, turning it around to reveal a picture of a man in a purple fur lined jacket wearing a beak shaped mask akin to those used by plague doctors.

On the tab behind the picture was a sketch drawing of a little girl with red eyes and a single horn.

"He named himself after his Quirk, a power that allows him to disassemble and reconstruct mater. Our investigation has let us to believe that Overhaul is using his Quirk to somehow turn the body of his daughter, a girl named Eri, into bullets like the one used against Suneater." Sir Nighteye continued, switching to the tab with the sketch as he spoke.

That caused Midoriya to flinch.

"Turning his daughter into bullets?" Machibuse repeated.

"If the information you provided us with over the phone is as reliable as your friends say than there is little doubt." Sir Nighteye responded.

No wonder his classmates were like that.

This was insanity.

Machibuse paused for a moment.

"Very well. How can I be of use?" he pushed forth. There was no backing out now.

"First things first." Sir Nighteye began, now reaching for something inside a drawer. A sheet of paper and the same plastic bag containing a red bullet Fatgum had brought to the meeting.

"This is the only sample we managed to secure, alongside the component breakdown given to us by the police. I was informed that you are required to have the components already in your system before synthesizing anything. Is it possible that you can create a cure with these? Our target has an unknown supply of ammo that would cripple any hero, and you may be our safety net… we'd just send those affected by the drug your way once the raid is over." Sir Nighteye inquired.

Machibuse reached for the sheet of paper, taking his time to read the information thoroughly.

"I was under the assumption that I would be capable of creating an antidote, but if this drug attacks the victims Quirk factor directly rather than simply disabling it, than I would not be able to undo the damage." Machibuse responded, mildly disappointed.

"I understand." Nighteye nodded, it wasn't as if he didn't account for this possibility. It was just too convenient.

"I can however synthesize a vaccine, something to minimize of prevent the damage dealt by this drug. I would need to be at the site to administer it however, my training has increased the stability of my chemicals and anything I concoct can remain active outside my body for about two hours, but that is in a perfect environment. A person's immune system plays a huge role in this time limit, so it is safer for me to administer the vaccine right before the operation begins." Machibuse suggested, although he knew that if Nighteye and Edgeshot had spoken then things wouldn't be that simple.

"So you can immunize us! Machibuse-san, that changes everything!" Midoriya jumped at the opportunity, the slightest hope now pulling him up from the gutter he was in.

Sir Nighteye leaned forward on his desk, silent for the moment as he weighted the possibilities.

"I can't guarantee that a vaccine made from this sample would be the answer to everything. If the Hassaikai is at a testing stage then likely there is more than one formula. It would be similar to a flu shot: it would make you immune to the effects of a specific drug, maybe to the formulas that use the same mechanisms because I plan on stopping the body from absorbing it at all." Machibuse explained the flaws of his idea.

"It is better than moving in without any protection. How many doses of this vaccine you think you can produce?" Sir Nighteye asked.

"Think of my Quirk as being able to create a stencil of any drug and print over it, too many copies of a substance this complex would result in mixtures that aren't reliable… The sample we have is very limited, but with this information from the police I can supplement the sample using other sources, this way I can be more efficient with the process. I would say that I would be able to immunize about twenty-five people before my system breaks the original sample too many times for it to be replicated again." Machibuse responded with a small sigh.

His father would've made over four times that amount with just the same sample. And his would be stable enough to be stored for days rather than breaking down after a few hours. Hakuba still had a lot to learn.

Nighteye once again began going over the plan.

A tense silence filed the office for about a minute.

"When I spoke with Edgeshot he agreed to lend you to my investigation under two conditions: The first is that I wasn't to use my Foresight on you, and the second is that under no circumstances you would be allowed to face off against members of the League of Villains." Sir Nighteye finally spoke.

"What happened in your past is not my business, but you will be only allowed to take part on the raid if you are to follow through with avoiding any possible members of the League. Our investigation up until this point has led us to believe that they are not working in cooperation; if this proves to be wrong them you are immediately to leave the premises and head to a secure location. Are we clear, White Rider?" the pro concluded in a way that gave Machibuse a palpable feeling of déjà vu.

"Crystal, Sir." Machibuse responded.

"Midoriya, we will be leaving for patrol. Inform Bubble Girl to accompany your friend to the train station and get dressed. Machibuse, for now you remain under Edgeshot and I will get in contact with you once we are ready to move. You may take the results from the police with you today, I will give you the bullet in time." Sir Nighteye now turned back to his computer, dismissing both students.

"Yes, Sir!" they responded in unison before leaving.

Midoriya stopped for a moment after closing the door.

"I… Eri-chan managed to escape a few days ago. I ran into her while patrolling with Togata-senpai. None of this would be happening right now if I had saved her." Midoriya confessed, he was now finally allowed to explain what had him so beaten.

"I see… then give it your best to make up to her. And be careful with this Chisaki guy, I am not sure that I can patch you up from being disintegrated, next Symbol of Peace." Machibuse allowed himself a chuckle as he bumped his fist against his friend's chest. Diffusing at least some of all that tension was a small accomplishment, but it was better than nothing.

Things would only escalate from that day on. A drug capable of irreversibly destroying someone's Quirk and a villain with the power to reshape mater itself.

If anything learning about Overhaul's power to destroy and rebuild gave Machibuse some much needed insight about a matter that was, on the grand scheme of things, much more insignificant than the inevitable conflict against the Shie Hassaikai…

Machibuse quickly picked up his phone and called the number he disliked most, he needed another favor.

-.

 **September 23th,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 0000.**

Momo was just about to call it a day, she had already finished her homework, read another chapter of her book, organized the contents of her bag for the next day of school and changed into her nightgown.

Things over the last two weeks were a little all over the place. She had taken upon herself to keep track of what classes each of the students undergoing the internships had missed in order to help Aisawa with the extra lessons he would need to set up; Tokoyami and Kirishima were by far the ones missing most classes, given that they were working far from Tokyo and that caused them to be away for entire days at once… Tokoyami had missed the entirety of last week's classes. The other four weren't as impacted, but things were beginning to add up for them as well.

Not to mention that there was a sensible shift in the air regarding both Uraraka and Asui that none of the other girls missed since about a week ago. The two wouldn't say a word about it however, oddly familiar to how Hakuba kept things as "classified information".

Hakuba was another one up to his neck in problems recently. His internship started up just fine, but that latest discovery surely derailed him quite a bit. If anything it was good to see that Hakuba was willing to allow her to shoulder some of his pain.

It was impossible for her not to smile when thinking about how hard he was trying to find her something for her birthday.

Momo tenderly looked at the picture resting on her desk. She would be happy with just about anything that idiot got her.

She was just about to climb onto her bed when someone knocked on her door.

Momo took a deep breath and turned around, making her way towards the noise. She was already feeling sleepy, but I was likely just the girls up to something.

At her door was someone unexpected. And at the same time someone she somehow knew was going to be there.

"Did I wake you up?" Hakuba asked, in his hands was a box she saw him picking up earlier today from the mail. This time only without the wrapping paper and the urgency stamps used by the military delivery system. A fine wooden box, just about half the size of a shoebox.

"Happily awake now." Momo answered with a smile as she invited him to enter her room with a faint blush on her cheeks.

Hakuba didn't hesitate to follow, his eyes instinctively moving down as Momo turned around to close the door. That wasn't the first time he saw her dressed like this, but after what happened back at I-Island it had proved hard to… properly enjoy the view.

By the time she turned back he had his eyes focused on the box he was holding as if nothing had happened.

Hakuba took a deep breath.

"This is for you." he offered the box with a small smile.

"I heard that you had a hard time finding something." Momo joked as she accepted the gift.

"I do own another favor to the hag, but you are worth the trouble." Hakuba allowed himself a chuckle.

"Well, we shouldn't wait then…" Momo responded as they both walked further inside the cramped room.

She placed the box on top of her desk, close to where the portrait that had their photo from I-Island was. Carefully she opened her gift.

Momo was quiet for a moment.

"You have no idea how hard it is to get you a gift, since your Creation makes gifting you material things redundant I had to lean on what Kamui Woods described as "something that goes beyond material value"… it is not exactly jewelry but…" Hakuba began speaking, standing just within arm's reach of her.

"Hotaru glass, right?" Momo interrupted, a deep pink now on her face as she picked up the accessory from the box. It was a brass hairpin about as long as her hand and dangling from it was a small ball made of black and orange glass just as big as a ping pong ball.

Hakuba eyed her surprised.

"I ended up falling for the guy from Okinawa, so I studied a little bit… the tradition of these stems from the aftermath of the second World War. Okinawa was in ruins and the glass for the recovery effort had to be made using recycled bottles..." Momo explained, now carefully placing the hairpin back into the box.

"It is something we tie to rebirth and reconstruction. I think it fits…" Hakuba finished the explanation as Momo now turned to face him.

She just looked at him, tensing slightly.

Gently Hakuba moved closed and pressed his lips against hers.

Slowly she welcomed the kiss, reaching for the collar of his shirt to pull him closer.

Hakuba's hands were soon around her hips and didn't took Momo much longer to let got of the shirt and reach for the back of his head.

Their pace got a lot more intense after that and before they broke apart for air Momo was already sitting on top of the vanity dresser besides her desk, her back against the cold mirror and her legs firmly wrapped around his waist.

A soft moan escaped Momo as Hakuba took the chance to assault her neck before they locked lips once more.

A little more.

They were both very pent up, but there was a limit to how far things could go before the point of no return.

Just a little more…

Momo reluctantly placed her hand on his chest and soon Hakuba pulled back, now just leaning his forehead on hers.

"I apologize for breaking protocol…" Hakuba offered, his breathing still a little quick.

"I can't believe that you are actually saying that right now… with your hand _there._ " Momo gave him a tired look before looking down to her chest.

Hakuba just shifted his eyes to the side as he innocently pulled his hand back.

"What does this mean?" Momo asked after a brief silence.

Hakuba took a deep breath.

"This entire internship situation has my mind all over the place, so I am not sure I would be a boyfriend able to give you the attention you deserve. I am angry, I am sad, I am disappointed with myself, I am feeling powerless… but you make everything go away. You always did." Hakuba admitted, as much to her as he did to himself.

Gently he cupped her face.

It was far from the perfection Hakuba wanted, but he couldn't hold it in anymore.

"I love you, Momo."

…

..

.

 _ **AN: So, what about this gift to the readers for the story's birthday (holy fuck this thing actually has a birthday…)? Came in a little sooner, but I am packing my stuff to move out the apartment I live in and wasn't sure if everything would be set up by the 14th. I'd say better safe than sorry, but I doubt that any of you have complaints about stuff coming up earlier.**_

 _ **We are Hope you all stick around for this year as well. We are almost 500 followers by now, and I can't thank you guys enough for the support.**_

 _ **Just google "Orange hotaru glass" if you want to see what the thing actually looks like, and the arts I spoke of should be done by the next chapter.**_

 _ **Anyway, I have received plenty of questions both in the comments and in private messages, and I mostly have answered them in private, but I guess that it would be good to start answering some here down in the author's notes. I'll be keeping the names of those who sent pms, because I assume that if you sent the message in private that meant you didn't want to have your name out here in the public eye.**_

 _ **I can start doing this Q &A thing every few chapters if you guys want me to, but there are some thing I obviously will not answer; such as things that will happen in future chapters or things I'm intentionally leaving up to debate.**_

 _ **So, here we go.**_

 _ **1)**_

 _ **mateususantosu: Guess I never did a kanji breakdown, did I? Anyway, here it is. Machibuse (**_ _ **待ち伏せ**_ _ **)**_ _ **can be broken down into two parts: Machi (**_ _ **待ち**_ _ **) means "To wait" or "Patient" and Buse (**_ _ **伏せ**_ _ **) comes from the word Fuseru (**_ _ **伏せる**_ _ **), which means "To lay prone" or "To conceal oneself". You were right when you said that it is an uncommon name, because actually it is a common name (Machi) that I added extra meaning to by adding additional syllables. The name Hakuba (**_ _ **白馬**_ _ **) also has a lot of meaning behind it. It means both "White Horse" and is the word used to describe unrefined sake, the "White Horse" part has been explored a few times already, he is a bowman that takes people down with something akin to diseases. And the unrefined sake is more of a joke, given that Hakuba can't get drunk because of his Quirk.**_

 _ **If you put everything together you get**_ _ **待ち伏せ**_ _ **白馬**_ _ **, which means "A white horse that awaits concealed". Kanji is fucking magical.**_

 _ **Machibuse (or Machifusei, or The Ambush Incident at Blood Pass depending on the translation) is also the name of a Japanese movie from the seventies about a ronin who is reluctant to kill and entangled in a betrayal plot. This is why I decided to make the character of Machibuse Hakuba someone that likes old movies.**_

 _ **Not even kidding, it took me an entire day to come up with this name when I was first drafting the story.**_

 _ **2)**_

 _ **Actually a lot of you asked me this one, but I only ever gave a good explanation to Scandalf: If Hatsume Mei is my favorite girl, then why is Hakuba paired up with Momo? Two reasons: First and most important is that, for me, the best thing about Mei is that she absolutely never stops, she is always laser focused on her inventions, and having her tied up in some romantic plot that would take this long to actually be developed would detract a lot from this devotion of hers. The very reason why I like her is why she isn't the pair.**_

 _ **Momo was easily my second favorite girl before I started this story, and she happened to check most of the things I wanted from a character for Hakuba to lean on like he does, the whole romance aspect of the story only came after I decided to anchor Hakuba to someone like this. That's the second reason.**_

 _ **Fun tidbit is that on my very first draft, Hakuba was actually a girl, then called Hakame (Hakuba was the then grandfather's name), and would be paired with either Momo, Bakugo or Iida. I decided to shift to a male character mostly because there aren't as many male OCs in this fandom and I wanted mine to stand out.**_

 _ **3)**_

 _ **This one came in privately, so no names: "If Hakuba was a Pokémon, what types would he be?" was actually a fun question to ask myself, I've played competitive Pokémon since the Platinum days, but have yet to pick up the new games.**_

 _ **I honestly love these weird questions. Let's be fair, I've made an entire chapter about getting the main character high because of one of these.**_

 _ **Regardless. Poison is an obvious choice, the secondary typing however was trickier to pinpoint, but I'd say Dark.**_

 _ **That gives us access to some very fitting moves like Baneful Bunker, Cross Poison, Poison Jab, Poison Sting, Purify, Toxic and Toxic Spikes from the Poison side and Feint Attack, Foul Play, Hone Claws, Knock Off, Nasty Plot, Night Slash, Pursuit, Taunt, Thief and Torment from the Dark side. A few moves from other types come into mind as well, like Counter and Low Kick from Fighting, Fake Out, Quick Attack and Smokescreen from Normal, and Fury Cutter and U-Turn from Bug.**_

 _ **If we are talking abilities than the first two that come to mind are Poison Touch and Sniper.**_

 _ **4)**_

 _ **Another one that came in privately, but I got this one question more than once: Will I ever up the rating of this story to M and write a lemon chapter? If you guys really want it, sure, I wouldn't mind. But I'd make it a separate story to keep this one into the T ratings where people would have an easier time finding it and to leave the lemon stuff just for those who want it. Regardless, it would be quite a while before it happened, because I'd much prefer developing the relationship further before jumping into that stuff, so don't hold your breath.**_

 _ **I suppose this is it for now, let me know if you guys want another one of these further down the line.**_

 _ **See you guys next time.**_


	50. Support III

_**Well fuck, 500 followers… been kinda busy with moving into the new apartment and there is quite a lot of stuff to set up, sorry if updates get a little slow.**_

-.

 **September 23th,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 0645.**

Hakuba didn't even knew how much he had missed that sensation; the scent of her skin, the warmth of her embrace… even the light snoring was a bliss. He had woken up with his head just above Momo's bosom, partially resting on her arm and partially on the pillow. She apparently held him close throughout the entire night, their legs still loosely interlocked and her cheek leaning against the top of his head.

" _Suppose I finally can get used to this… A shame it happened after we moved to the dorms."_ Hakuba thought to himself, a small smile on his lips as his hand slowly reached around her back, lightly skimming over the fine silk of Momo's nightgown.

Part of him was still undeniably rebuking that nightgown with the fury of a thousand Minetas, but alas these last few hours had been by far the best of his week; from the moment Momo opened her door, to how she reacted to the gift, to their first kiss in over two months. Momo's reaction to the confession would be something Hakuba wouldn't forget so soon: Not a single word. She just looked away for a moment as if trying to hide her smile before she pulled Hakuba in for another kiss. A very gentle one that ended with both lovers clearly accepting each other.

Hakuba took a deep breath, cleared his throat and shifted lightly, unfortunately it was time to get up.

Momo just let out a small groan, the movement more or less waking her up, but Hakuba followed it up with a gentle smooch to her lips.

"…Do you really need to wake up this early…?" Momo complained as she pulled him back into her embrace, her voice still raspy.

"Good morning to you too." Hakuba joked, now hugging his girlfriend tightly.

Momo just nuzzled onto her boyfriend's skin a little, wouldn't take much more for her to fall asleep again.

Hakuba sighed. He had a routine that he needed to stick to and staying there with Momo was a risky move, both because people would notice his absence at the courtyard and because the girls would inevitably knock sooner or later.

He rolled his eyes and pulled the sheets back over.

"As much as I would like to, we shouldn't make a habit out of this. And I know that you would not approve of me getting lazy… but since it is your birthday, we could make it a special occasion." Hakuba spoke tenderly as he adjusted his head onto the pillow.

His only response was another soft snore.

" _Adorable…"_ Hakuba suppressed a chuckle and allowed himself to close his eyes.

Before he even knew, he was already waking up again. Momo's cellphone vibrating on top of her desk was enough to do the job. He had slumbered for some thirty, maybe forty minutes. In a moment the device went off once more.

"Can you… pick it up for me?" Momo asked as she sat up, a soft yawn interrupting her speech.

Hakuba nodded and rolled towards the edge of the massive bed. It was a message from Ashido.

"Here." he handed Momo the phone, once more moving to her side.

Momo rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she slowly replied to the message. With a sigh she placed the cellphone down and stretched her back.

Technically boys and girls weren't allowed to sleep together given the rules that governed U.A.'s dorms, but that was a protocol both Hakuba and Momo decided to break there. Some degree of stealth was going to be needed in order for him to leave that room without turning classmates into witnesses… Iida wouldn't snitch on them, but both culprits were recommended students and Momo was Class 1-A's vice-president, so that would most certainly rustle Iida's feathers. Chatterboxes like Ashido, Sero and Kaminari were the bigger threat, given how likely they were to unwittingly inform Aisawa of this little transgression.

"We have fifteen minutes before the girls start knocking…" Momo informed, visibly cursing in her head about how inconvenient living with everyone else was from time to time.

"I should get going then." Hakuba suggested, it was good while it lasted.

"I told her you stopped by to give me your gift. I just need to get dressed." Momo placed a hand over his and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Well, she wasn't exactly lying.

"…and I'd say I am pretty fast to change clothes…" she added in a mildly suggestive tone only he knew and turned to face him.

What a way to wake up.

This was definitely something he could get used to. A shame they only had a few minutes for themselves, they still had a lot of catching up to do after those two months.

Damn, Momo made him feel like the luckiest guy alive.

"Have I ever said that I love you?" Hakuba jokingly asked following the brief silence after they pulled away from that kiss that unfortunately had to be way shorter than they wanted it to be.

"Well, I could stand to hear it a little more." Momo laughed, now finally getting out of the bed.

Hakuba followed suit, he just needed to put his shirt and dog tags back on, but his eyes were busy with something else.

"Can I help you with anything?" Momo asked once she reached for the closet's door, her tone mildly tired as she half turned.

"Just appreciating the view. One of the many benefits of dating you." Hakuba answered, now back to his usual tone despite and expression despite the faint color coming to his face.

"To think I got myself a pervert…" Momo sighed, motioning for him to turn around with her finger.

"We both know that this is not news to you." Hakuba quirked an eyebrow before turning around.

He just stared at the wall for the moment, the devil on his shoulder doing his best to get Hakuba to crank his neck, but the boy was not about to push Momo to do anything she wasn't comfortable with.

It was just the quietness of the room for a moment, periodically being broken by the sound of drawers being pulled.

"…I wouldn't get mad if you happened to… peek just a little." Momo spoke after silence persisted for a while, the awkwardness palpable in her voice.

That surely surprised Hakuba, who reluctantly turned his head just enough to catch a glimpse from the corner of his eye.

Momo just stood there, she had already put on the blue pants that were U.A.'s standard, but she had her back fully exposed, the loose black hair tossed over one shoulder as she looked over the other, her cheeks deep pink and her lips sporting a timid smile. No posing or anything, in fact she was visibly concealing herself, holding both her bra and shirt tightly against her chest.

It was just a moment of intimacy that was gone as fast as it came, a shy nod being the signal for him to look away once more.

Hakuba just took a deep breath, doing his best to keep that image burned on his retina for as long as possible.

Damn, Momo _really_ made him feel like the luckiest guy alive.

"No comments?" Momo asked timidly as she now hurried to get herself presentable for the incoming guests to her room.

"None that wouldn't breach protocol, I assure you." Hakuba responded after clearing his throat.

"Really? Maintaining protocol right now?" Momo chuckled as she approached.

"The hag is very fond of Pavlovian conditioning and she is much stronger than she looks…" Hakuba suppressed a sigh. He could tell that Momo was just behind him now.

"At this point it would feel a little strange to not have you doing this, wouldn't it? But just so you know, I like having the no-protocol you around as well." she spoke tenderly, busy with something at his back.

"You can turn around now." Momo added.

"It looks good on you." Hakuba observed as he noticed the hairpin.

"Thanks, I…" Momo responded as she meandered closer, her nose now brushing against his, but the sudden knocking on her door stopped her in her tracks.

"Yaomomo! Open up! We gotta a lot of work to do!" Ashido shouted, clearly overhyped for something.

"I do miss my apartment sometimes." Hakuba admitted.

"You and me both." Momo sighed and made her way towards the noise outside.

She opened her door to a small burst of confetti and a nice cheer. The girls always did small things like these for each other and soon enough they were all inside. Even Uraraka and Asui seemed to be in good spirits for now.

Hagakure was the one to spot the hairpin. Her invisible eyes going back and forth between the ornament and the one male in the room.

"Mina-chan, look! We are off to a good start!" she shouted enthusiastically.

"Nice! Machibuse, get out and message Hatsume's number to me!" Ashido demanded.

"Good morning…?" Machibuse offered confusedly, the girls had a plan as it seemed. And if it involved Hatsume then it surely had to be a wild one.

"It is an amazing morning, yeah! Now shoo! We need some girls-only talk!" Ashido was going absolutely ballistic.

"Sure… I suppose I still need to take a shower before we all leave to class." Machibuse relented, now reluctantly leaving the room.

He was just about to reach the door when he looked back at Jiro with confusion in his expression. His lieutenant only gave him a tired shrug in response to the unspoken question and that caused devilish little idea crossed his mind; now he was pretty sure as to what the girls, namely Ashido and Hagakure, had planned for today and what this "girls-only talk" was about.

Hakuba stopped, spun on his heel and gave Momo a quick kiss on the lips.

That surprised Momo a little, but she was quicker to return the kiss than he was to pull back.

It all happened in an instant, and soon the boy was already closing the door, saying something about also needing to make some sweets for his girlfriend's birthday.

"I told you guys that they didn't need our help…" Jiro did her best to hold her laughter.

Machibuse had beaten Ashido in her own game.

The pink skinned girl rushed towards the door and almost yanked it out of the hinges as she shouted her lungs out.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA OF HOW MUCH TIME I SPENT PLANING THIS THING TO GET YOU TWO BACK TOGETHER!? WHAT THE FUCK!?"

-.

 **September 23th,** **Main Building, Class 1-A, 0915.**

Homeroom had been fairly uneventful up until this point; Usual notifications about today's classes and training schedule and, as per routine of Friday homeroom a small glimpse of what was to be expected for the next week; Class 1-A would be going once more to Gym Gamma this Sunday, this time for standard endurance training, and all first-year students would be taking a few written exams starting Monday.

The students undergoing internships were visibly relieved to know that they would be allowed to take the exams at a later date. They already had more than enough to deal with.

One minor thing was ticking everyone off however.

"Ashido... You've been tapping your foot since we began. What's with you today?" Aisawa asked, his usual tired look clearly bothered.

"Huuuuh…." Ashido froze.

"Sensei is right, mademoiselle…" Aoyama added. Truth be told, he had tried to get the attention of the girl sitting right behind him for the last few minutes in order to maybe get her to stop, but Ashido just ignored him.

"Is it because…?" Kaminari pondered loudly.

"Of course it is because of those two! I went to sleep like two in the morning because I was working out the details of my master plan! And bam! All for nothing! And… and the we barely stepped out from the dorms they are already acting as if they weren't dating!" Ashido began throwing her tantrum.

The entire class just stared at her for an instant.

"This is a school, not a dating show. And they are both students from the recommendation, so if someone is expected to follow the rules, it's them." Aisawa stated plainly.

"I stepped out of the line once already and was… lengthily lectured for my misbehavior. In Okinawa we are taught to not repeat mistakes." Machibuse offered, causing Watchman Iida to quietly adjust his glasses.

Yaoyorozu just gave her boyfriend a subtle judging look. Both of them were breaching the most basic rule of the dorms less than a few hours ago and yet he managed to keep his straight face.

Truly someone trained to fool a polygraph.

Ashido just turned away, bidding her time. Next class was Art, and Midnight surely would side with her.

The teacher sighed, knowing that things would be back to normal in a few days. He then gave a quick look to the two lovebirds under his tutelage and scratched the back of his head.

"Congratulations to you two, I guess…"

-.

 **September 23th,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 1915.**

"Aw man…"

"HA! SUCK IT SOY SAUCE FACE! NOW DRAW FOUR!"

Machibuse and Uraraka were busy with getting dinner ready, but things were much more hectic over on the other side of the counter that divided the kitchen from the main common area. Bakugo, Sero, Ashido, Kaminari and Jiro were having a friendly game of Uno while they waited for the food. As friendly as any competitive activity with Bakugo could be.

He had quite a full hand and had been blocked two turns in a row, not an ideal scenario. And now both him and Sero were pretty much set to lose the round.

"Worst part is that I got absolutely nothing useful out of these four cards…" Sero complained, just tossing a random green card into the pile.

"So, where is Yaomomo now? We are back at the dorms, so you two don't need to pretend things are not happening." Ashido grumbled as she looked down towards the cards in her hand, her next move could stop Kaminari from winning.

"Momo was here in the kitchen, you just happened to miss her. Tokoyami-san returned from Kyushu not too long before you all settled down to play and she took the opportunity to speak with him about what classes he lost due to his internship. We might have been given some leeway about these exams coming next week, but Tokoyami-san has been affected to a much larger extent." Machibuse explained, slowly stirring the pot in front of him. Been a while since he made curry for his classmates.

"Uraraka-san, mind checking on the rice for me?" he added, now turning towards his assistant for the night.

"Right!" Uraraka quickly responded, she had been eying the card game with a mix of interest and reluctance for a while now as she peeled the shell of the twenty-something boiled eggs.

"Okay… looks done! I'm turning off the heat." she informed before returning to her eggs, now with a little more focus.

"My gratitude." Machibuse nodded.

"Damn… You had to play a red one!?" Kaminari complained loudly as he ended his turn without playing a card.

"Uraraka-san, you have helped me plenty already. Go join them for the next round once you finish with the eggs." Machibuse offered, his voice a little lower as to only reach her.

Uraraka just gave him a downcast look in response.

"This investigation has been weighting a lot on us all, please allow yourself to relax a little… It may not seem like much, but incessantly mauling over what is happening will wear you down." Machibuse suggested with a faint smile.

Uraraka swallowed, her shoulders stiff.

"How do you deal with this?" she asked without lifting her eyes from the counter.

"Midoriya-san has asked me the same thing a few days ago when I joined the effort… I told him that I just push the feelings to the side instead of dealing with them, and I honestly believe that my approach is terribly flawed. Although things changed since that day, suppose I found someone to lean on if it ever becomes too much to ignore." Machibuse responded, oddly amused by the fact that both Uraraka and Midoriya would come to him the exact same question.

"Deku-kun asked…" Uraraka repeated, a little surprised.

"He likely is the one having the hardest time, so he is going to need our support. Your support mostly." Machibuse gave a small chuckle as he watched the girl blushing slightly.

"He is always taking care of everyone, isn't he?" Uraraka asked with an honest smile as she looked towards the corridor.

Tokoyami and Yaoyorozu soon came into Machibuse's view.

"If you ask that to him he is just going to say its his job and try to keep appearances…" Yaoyorozu responded as she joined the two in the kitchen.

"Well, it is my job regardless." Machibuse quirked and eyebrow.

Yaoyorozu just briefly hugged him from behind for a moment as he continued his work.

"There is a surprise for you in the fridge, by the way." he added as he turned his head around only to receive a kiss to the cheek.

"It seems that I've lost on more developments than just a few classes over these last two weeks… those two are finally a thing?" Tokoyami commented as he pulled a chair and joined into the growing circle of people playing the card game.

"Since early today… Uno." Jiro responded as she cheekily tossed a red card onto the pile.

"You aren't the only one, I had this amazing plan to get them together today and it was all for nothing because Machibuse got to her room before we did." Ashido whined, her eyes going back and forth between the pile and the two block cards sitting on her hand of three cards. Playing any of those likely meant that she would hand the win to Jiro.

"You are mad that they finally stopped with that shitty drama? You are not making any sense, Raccoon-Eyes." Bakugo spat as he went through his next play in his head. If he used a reverse now than it was one chance in four that the game would end, but if he managed to play a next turn than he could slam Jiro with a plus four he had been hoarding for a while.

"I'm not mad that they are together! Just look how adorable they are! It's just that I have been trying to get that ship sailing since we began school… I mean, their first date happened because of me…!" Ashido defended herself, taking a moment to watch the scene in the kitchen.

Too much of a risk, Bakugo just opted to play a block on Sero.

"Why you gotta do this with me?" Sero moaned in defeat, cutting Ashido's explanation.

"Because it's your fault that I have nine fucking cards in my hand!" Bakugo shouted back.

"…I just wanted to be the one to give the final push, you know! I had an amazing idea and now I never get to use it…" Ashido turned back to the game.

She gave the players that would follow her play a hard, sizing look.

"Ok, Kaminari, it's on you my dude…" Ashido slowly placed down her card, causing Kaminari to draw two more.

"What was this plan of yours then?" Sero asked, closely watching as Kaminari tried to think of a way out.

"Right… now, what color you do have in your hand? You haven't played nothing blue in a while and you should be out of red by now…" Kaminari squinted his eyes as he looked at Jiro.

"Am I out of red cards?" Jiro taunted.

"Yes you are! I call red!" Kaminari slammed a wild card onto the pile. It was a bold move, but if he was right than that meant that Jiro would need to draw and everyone would know that she had no plays on red.

"Oh no, what am I gonna do…" Jiro blatantly faked pain as she placed her last card onto the pile and ended the game.

"The hell, Chargedolt!? How dumb can you be?" Bakugo tossed his handful of cards on Kaminari's face before slamming his head onto the table.

"I was planning on locking both of them inside the development studio." Ashido disclosed her plan as she tossed her losing hand back into the pile.

"That sounds a little… weak?" Sero observed, now picking up the pile of cards and shuffling it back together into the deck.

"It had a lot more steps than just that, obviously!" Ashido rose a finger in objection.

"Ahem… first step was to get Hatsume into the plan, she would be the one to get Machibuse in there." she began explaining.

"So this is why you wanted her number?" Machibuse asked, now beginning to add the final touches to the food.

"Yeah, I overheard you telling Shoji that she was working on your bow, so I was going to get her to call you… After that it was just a matter of making sure you didn't pick the lock or anything, so I asked Todoroki to come with me and block the door with ice. He still wants to get back at you because of that day you got a bunch of people high, and that was amazing opportunity." Ashido responded, scuttling a little to the side so Uraraka could join in.

"We kinda saw another side of Todoroki that day… Who's the next victim of the Okinawan Special, Captain?" Jiro held in a laugh.

"Shit… that's a really good name." Sero muttered.

"So my Quirk has become sort of a running gag in this story?" Machibuse asked, mildly amused as he looked around.

"Well, you are through over a fourth of the class already. And not even you are safe from yourself." Yaoyorozu observed, now taking a moment to pry inside the fridge.

"A most unfortunate result, yes, but I was strapped for more efficient solutions at the time." Machibuse responded, trying to wiggle away from the very confusing memory by justifying his actions.

"I still really wanna know what you were saying back then…" Ashido prodded for a response.

"I can only remember firing the arrow and then coming back to my senses a few minutes later; everything in-between is mostly a colorful blur with a few flashes of clarity and a plethora of… very unique sights." Machibuse shrugged.

"Pretty much." both Sero and Kaminari spoke in unison, testifying to how the whole experience was.

"So, what do you guys think it is going to happen to Dark Shadow if Tokoyami gets slapped with that crazy-juice?" Kaminari threw the possibility out there as he was handed his cards for the new round.

"Please do not paint a target on my back." Tokoyami turned away.

"Personally I want to see giggling Bakugo. That would be next level for sure…" Jiro also gave her suggestion.

"PINPRICK, IF YOU EVEN DARE TOUCHING ME WITH THOSE DAMN THINGS I AM BLASTING THEM ALL OFF!" Bakugo immediately got up on his chair, both hands up in a fighting stance.

The remainder of the group just stared at him for a moment, but slowly they resumed their activities. Uraraka joined the game and Tokoyami was plenty satisfied with just watching. In a few minutes both Machibuse and Yaoyorozu were busy with serving the food, even if the former at first had declined the help.

By the time they were done in the kitchen Jiro had already claimed another victory, the girl apparently turned out to be quite the card shark.

Ashido resentfully stored the deck as the remainder of Class 1-A showed up for dinner.

For Machibuse it was a good enough way to close the brief pause on his internship, he was back in business starting tomorrow.

If anything he still had a few hours to enjoy with Momo after dinner. Hakuba wasn't that big into dramas, but it was her birthday so it was only fair that she was the one to decide on what movie to watch.

Love would keep the tension and dread away for that night.

-.

 **September 24th, Musutafu General Hospital, 1230.**

Turned out that Machibuse's internship would need to wait another day. When Kamihara called to inform that his intern would be needed elsewhere, Machibuse was quick to assume that the investigation on the Hassaikai had been concluded. But no.

It was a far more unique call; he was to go to the hospital nearby the U.A. campus instead of heading to Edgeshot's agency. The call came in the nick of the time actually, Machibuse was just about to make enter the train station.

"There you are my dear, just in time. Sorry for the sudden call, it is a very special case." a kind voice called him.

Recovery Girl needed his assistance.

"Ma'am." Machibuse bowed lightly as U.A.'s resident doctor came closer, the steel suitcase with his costume firmly in his right hand.

"The patient has arrived last night, most of the preparations are already finished. How about we go meet him?" Recovery Girl suggested as she motioned for him to follow.

"May I ask who this patient is?" Machibuse inquired as the elevator ride began.

"Oh… just one of U.A.'s alumni, although this one graduated quite a few years ago when I was still a lot younger. You likely know him already." Recovery Girl teased the teen accompanying her with just a few hints.

The track from the elevator to room 411 turned into a short guessing game, no harm in some fun along the way.

They stopped in front of the door.

"Excuse me! It's Recovery Girl!" the nurse called out as she knocked on the door.

Soon she pushed the door open and gestured for Machibuse to enter.

Resting on the bed was a tall, slim man sporting a neatly combed blond hair. His finger slowly moving over the clothing provided to him by the hospital, the loose strands in the cloth neatly arranging themselves into a pattern.

He was hooked up to a ventilator and to a few more tubes.

"I believe you recognize our patient… Hakamata-kun, this is Machibuse Hakuba. He is going to help me today; his Quirk is a blessing for cases such as yours. I believe this is the first time you actually meet each other." Recovery Girl made the introductions.

The special patient was no one other than Fiber Hero: Best Jeanist.

Machibuse's façade failed him as he quickly took a deep bow in respect. In a way it was his fault that the hero in front of him was in such a… sorry state. Kamino had costed a lot to a lot of people.

"Best Jeanist, Sir… you have my gratitude for what you did for me. I hope I can at least be of use in your recovery." Machibuse spoke in a tight voice, eyes locked onto the dull light-gray floor of the room.

Best Jeanist took a very deep breath before responding, not to add emphasis to his next words but because he wouldn't be able to speak at all otherwise.

"There is no need for this, young man… that is a good attitude, but what happened to me was an expected danger of hero life, like how denim is expected to rip when pulled too much." the pro spoke gracefully.

"How are you feeling today?" Recovery Girl asked as she checked on the information displayed on the monitors that sat by the bed.

"Lightheaded… arms and legs fell a little numb, but I assume that is intentional." Best Jeanist responded after another long-drawn breath.

Recovery Girl just gave a small nod before turning to the teen behind her.

"Best Jeanist survived a run into All For One, but what almost took his life afterwards was an allergy to some of the remedies… medical staff was spread very thin after Kamino, and that caused this detail to slip unnoticed when he first arrived at the hospital. Jeanist has never been one to spend too much time in the infirmary, so we never discovered how strong the allergy truly was." she informed, now handing out a list of the medicaments used for Best Jeanist's treatment.

"I assume that is why you called for me." Machibuse responded, now carefully going over the information.

"I have been testing a few substitutes, but it's hard to get something that works reliably without pushing our luck and it's well over time we get those tubes out… Jeaninst won't recover properly if he never get's accustomed to breathing without assistance. I'm going to need you in the operating room to keep the patient's immune system under control and prevent anaphylactic shock." Recovery Girl gave Machibuse his mission.

"I will be sure to do my best." Machibuse responded with a firm nod.

"The operation proper will begin in an hour. I have already told the hospital staff about you and they should be finishing picking up a few things that you are going to need: Epinephrine, albuterol, the standard stuff. You are also going to need to change, but just ask for some scrubs at the staff balcony and you will be all set… it should be an easy one, two or three hours at most. I'm sure you can do it, sweetie." Recovery Girl added with a smile and gestured for the student to go on ahead and prepare.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Machibuse responded and made his way out after taking a quick bow.

The two pros in the room just remained silent for a moment.

"Can't say that I wasn't surprised when you first told me that one of the students kidnapped by the League would be joining in the operation." Best Jeanist commented.

"He is very different from young Bakugo, isn't he? Motivation, drive, pride…" Recovery Girl responded as she now began preparing the anesthetics that would keep Best Jeanist asleep for the next few hours.

"Behavior." Best Jeanist added with a small sigh.

"That is most likely his grandmother's fault, you can bet that the old witch made sure of that…" Recovery Girl responded with a subtly bitter tone.

"Someone you have known for a while." Best Jeanist guessed based on that reaction.

"Both me and Hakame were still in high school when we first met; she was already someone very hard to deal with back then and the years have only made it worse… Used to send all the pretty boys running for their lives if they looked for too long." Recovery Girl rolled her eyes.

The nurse continued her preparations, random memories from years long gone going through her head causing her to chuckle a bit.

"Still… Machibuse-kun fortunately has learned quickly to be much more careful with his Quirk than his grandmother ever was. He's made a few mistakes here and there, but you are in good hands…"

-.

 **September 26th, Tokyo, Tokyo Central Station Surroundings, 1520.**

The last couple of days had been surprisingly tame. Best Jeanist's operation was a resounding success and the man would leave the hospital tomorrow, breathing entirely by himself for the first time in eight weeks.

Yesterday was just a unnoteworthy day of patrol, all things considered. Edgeshot simply stated that the police was still working on tracking the angler Nomu and the topic was pretty much buried.

But luck was not on White Rider's side today.

It was just too Hatsume-y of an incident, but the mad scientist in question was, for once, completely innocent; she and Machibuse had just finished lunch, and when they returned to retrieve the weapon they were greeted by the sight of Power Loader shouting very colorful words as he hosed down a trio of second years with high pressure water from an emergency valve. The students in question somehow managed to rip a hole in a vat of highly toxic antifreeze liquid and pretty much caused a lockdown at the Development Studio that would last at least a couple of hours.

Machibuse luckily enough managed to convince Power Loader to open the door so he could get in and rescue the case with his costume from Hatsume's personal locker, a chest that rested somewhere buried underneath the massive amounts of Hatsume's babies by the far corner of the room. Good thing he was immune to toxins, otherwise he would have completely missed on his internship today due to lacking his proper work clothes.

The bow was unfortunately locked away in another section of the studio that housed the workbenches used by the students from the Support department in order to tinker with restricted gear. Since Hatsume had been the only one working there prior to the incident, Power Loader decided to lock the room down once she left for lunch… and now he would need to manually override the lock, something he was only capable of doing after the main studio was clear of hazardous material.

Another wave of projectiles came in hot, somewhat drawing the teen out of the small flashback he was having.

" _I really miss my bow…"_

White Rider took a deep breath, his back was pressed firmly against the cold stainless-steel shell of a wine cooler, he could feel dozens of projectiles rapidly pelting his cover. His foe fired sharp nails in bursts of about four seconds but needed to take a break of zero-point-eight seconds in between those bursts and that cooldown time had been steadily increasing with every burst.

It was plenty of time for the hero-in-training to take a shot, but alas he was without his main weapon.

He was alone this time, in a place he very well remembered coming with Momo months ago. The large panels of the French countryside were now riddled with holes and the outrageously expensive wine bottles once being proudly displayed in racks had been shot down and shattered. It was every insurance company's nightmare.

The desperate looking villain had holed himself into the kitchen of the once posh French restaurant after being left behind by his crew as they fled from the quick hit they performed at a jewelry store located inside a nearby shopping mall. Now he was White Rider's problem to deal with.

The target was a man in his late twenties with a very slim build and teary green eyes, face still hidden behind a balaclava. He had more than a few fresh bruises on his pale skin and limped from a cut on his left tight. His weak posture was that of someone scared as he held his right hand in front of him, his entire right arm seemed to be made of some metallic material, and his fist effectively functioned as a nail gun.

" _Rider, what is the situation?"_ Edgeshot asked over the com. The pro went chasing after the escape vehicle and had left his intern to handle the situation at the restaurant.

If anything the place had already closed for cleaning after lunch, so the only ones inside were the owner and a handful members of the staff, all of which managed to escape through a backdoor.

White Rider took the chance to dash away from the cover he had been using. A quick vault over the main counter allowed him to pick up a small something he had been eyeing since entering the kitchen and would allow for more movement.

"I am having to improvise a little, but things are well under control. Over." the teen responded as he squeezed out a load of his standard anti-personnel drug over the blade of the fillet knife he picked up during his last move.

Throwing a kitchen knife wasn't nearly as refined or efficient as using his Delivery Arrows and required much more care as to just graze the target with the blade, but that hardly was something Machibuse had never done before.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" the man cried as he threatened to fire his Quirk one more time as he firmly pressed his back against the wall, eyes darting around nervously as he searched for a way out.

Full of openings.

The target was twitchy enough that he would open fire on anything that moved from behind that counter, it was just a matter of creating a distraction and striking back during the cooldown.

But…

"What is your reason for doing this?" White Rider asked after a long breath, now resting against his cover.

"S-SHUT UP! I'M NOT FALLING FOR THIS GOOD COP THING!" the man shouted once again, now taking aim at the source of the voice he just heard.

"I am not a cop; I am a hero. And only a hero-in-training at that." White Rider stated indifferently.

"IT'S ALL THE SAME! Y-YOU ARE HERE TO TAKE ME DOWN! I'M NOT GOING TO JAIL!" the man's voice trembled.

"That was my original intent when I first began confronting you, yes." White Rider responded honestly, now sitting on the floor.

A tense silence filled the kitchen for about a minute.

"I have fought thugs, gang members, villains and even terrorists… but are not any of those, are you? I know this fear you are feeling all too well…" the teen asked.

"S-stop… D-Don't talk to me!" the scared man chocked on his words.

" _Rider, police already has the restaurant surrounded. I'm converging to your location; the escapees are already under custody."_ Edgeshot informed over the com. Been a while since his intern had updated him on the situation.

White Rider cleared his throat loudly to get the attention of the "villain" in the kitchen.

"Sir, tell the police to stand down. This may take a moment, but I will try to solve this situation without any more conflict. Our man here is an innocent just having a very bad day. Over." White Rider responded.

Edgeshot's silence was good enough of a response.

"What is your name? You don't need to tell me if you do not trust me." the teen asked, now resting his head against the counter.

"Ichitoge Ken…" the man introduced himself reluctantly.

"Ichitoge-san, I am going to stand up now. I trust that you will not shoot me." White Rider informed.

He got up to his feet, and now was face-to-face with the man that still had his hand ready to fire.

"D-drop the knife!" Ichitoge ordered, his arm still shaking.

"Let me just rinse it off on the sink first... My Quirk allows me to produce all kinds of drugs and toxins; I had planned on taking you down by throwing this at you: it would paralyze you by inducing muscular cramps for a few minutes." White Rider rose his hands and slowly walked towards the sink.

"My name is Machibuse Hakuba. Protocol: White Rider if you desire to keep it professional… I am a first-year student of U.A. Highschool and currently work as an intern for Edgeshot." Machibuse introduced himself as he took off his padded gloves and began cleaning the impromptu weapon of his chemicals. It was very unlikely that it posed any health risk for someone to use that knife to prepare food, but it was good practice to keep things under control.

"Edgeshot is right out there, isn't he?" Ichitoge gritted his teeth nervously.

"He is on his way, the men that left you behind are already under custody. The restaurant is already surrounded by the police however." Machibuse informed as he eyed the man in front of him.

The teen dried his hands on a nearby towel, stored his gloves on a pocket and pulled down both his hood and mask.

"Damn, you are just a kid… what the hell was I doing?" Ichitoge lowered his arm as it dawned onto him just how far he had gone today.

He slumped to the floor and took the balaclava off, revealing a scraggly blond hair and a blackeye. The man winced as the wound on his leg made itself noticed again.

"I'm going to prison, aren't I?" Ichitoge spoke more to himself than to Machibuse.

"You actively took part on a robbery, used your Quirk to threaten civilians and caused significant damage to this establishment. Those are not light charges." Machibuse informed, faint regret sensible in his voice.

Ichitoge just curled into the corner.

"Please, let me have a look at your wound. I have some degree of medical training." Machibuse offered a hand to the man.

"Why are you doing this?" Ichitoge took a moment to accept the hand and soon he was sitting down a chair.

Machibuse was silent for a while as he inspected the wound, taking his time to think about his next words. It was a shallow cut, but it was a rather lengthy one.

"I know a thing or two about doing something out of desperation and regretting it later… Now tell me, what is your story?" he responded, now using the device Hatsume had given him to quickly find the appropriate chemicals he would need before taking the medical supplies from the zipper inside his bullet-proof vest and sterilizing his hands.

"You luckily have made it this far without hurting or killing anyone, and if you were left behind as a distraction it raises a few questions that may help your case." he added, now donning the surgical mask once more.

"I… I lost my job about half a year ago. Was already struggling to make ends, but that got me deep in loans, and the debts kept on overdoing…" Ichitoge began, clearly ashamed of his situation.

The sight of the Chelicerae springing from Machibuse's palm startled him a little.

"I am going to inject you with a dose of aluminum sulfate and local anesthetics to numb the wounded area and stem the bleeding. The cut is not particularly deep, but I will need to perform a suture to close the wound and prevent infection. Eighteen stitches at least." Machibuse informed, leaving out the information about how that was actually the first time he would be stitching someone outside of a controlled environment.

Ichitoge gave a weak nod and continued his tale as Machibuse then carefully delivered the payload and began sterilizing the wound.

"The guys that robbed that store with me bailed me out, said that everything I needed to do was help them today. I just had to be there and be scary… they would do all the lifting and once we escaped I would be free to walk away without anyone getting hurt..." he explained, his brow furrowing as the mild burning sensation of the wound being cleared continued to torment him.

"Once things went south and heroes showed up they kicked me out of the car… I got that cut when they decided to cut off my safety belt... these bruises came from the fall…" Ichitoge continued, now sobbing.

"They used you as muscle and then bait. It is not hard to imagine that they would have disposed of you regardless of the outcome; you are a loose end and your former crew clearly had no qualms about stepping too low." Machibuse concluded, now pulling the suture thread from the device on his chest.

Ichitoge cried, but not because of the needle puncturing his skin or because of the thread pulling his flesh back together. That man had been through a very long and painful experience. And it all had crashed now.

It would be a slow process.

All healing was slow in a way.

Edgeshot, the police, reporters and a handful of onlookers waited almost half an hour for an outcome.

White Rider stepped out of the restaurant with Ichitoge's arm over his shoulders, the man's leg was still too weak to walk properly. The fact that Ichitoge was crying his eyes out wasn't helping either.

"There is no need for this… just get Ichitoge-san a good lawyer and a place for him to rest. I will vouch for him in court if needed." White Rider stopped a policeman from handcuffing the "criminal" he was escorting.

Ichitoge uttered a barely understandable thank you amidst his tears as the police got him into a car and left.

Everyone in that street just watched the car get further and further away for an instant.

"I'm proud of you, kid… Let's call it a day." Edgeshot spoke as he placed a hand on his intern's shoulder and gave a light squeeze before moving on.

White Rider was about to turn and follow but the reporters behind him incessantly asking questions that for once deserved his attention: What happened inside the restaurant? Why he decided to not fight? "Wouldn't have been a lot easier to take him out?

Hakuba took a deep breath and decided to focus on a random camera. He had to be quick with his statement, otherwise his lack of a spine would get the better of him.

"It is not about difficulty; it is about doing what is right. A hero's true purpose is saving people... and someone needed my help today."

…

..

.

 _ **AN: And here we go, fifty chapters down. Now that we added some girth to this internship arc we can finally move on to the Shie Hassaikai raid. And yes, Hakame and Chiyo (Recovery Girl) have some history, we are going to address that later on.**_

 _ **Received a few questions, so keeping with the whole Q &A stuff:**_

 _ **Am I planning on going over the OVAs?  
I knew about the All Might OVA, and that one had absolutely nothing to do with this story so I just decided to not cover it, but I gotta be completely honest here: I completely forgot that "Save! Rescue Training!" and "Training of the Dead" existed. Don't know if I will go over those two now, the first one didn't seem all that interesting to write and the second one would be kinda redundant… I mean, Hakuba is immune to the Zombie Virus Quirk, so that would be mostly a meme chapter.**_

 _ **If we get a new OVA, then sure, I might give it a shot.**_

 _ **How far do I plan to bring the story?**_

 _ **Hard to say without spoiling anything but rest assured that I have things already planned up until the Endeavor Agency arc we got recently in the manga. And as you guys can tell I write a lot of "filler" stuff in between the main events of the story… so yeah, I will be here for a while.**_

 _ **The dates I put in whenever I change scenes: Are they cannon? Is there a list people can use to write their own stuff?**_

 _ **Very few of the dates are cannon, and those that are cannon are the ones related to birthdays and such. What I have here are mostly well-educated guesses, with the exception of the first few chapters, which have dates offset by about two or three weeks because I didn't want to make things that happened in the first two seasons of the anime feel so tightly packed. Lately I have been considering retconning those dates I left offset, just so people can use this story as a reliable timeline to pace their own stories.**_

 _ **AND FINALLY!**_

 _ **ART!**_

 ** _Today I bring to you guys one… very creepy Nomu. Just check it out on my profile here, I just updated it with the deviant art link. Or you can just add_** **/imyaff** **_to the deviant art URL. Honestly I prefer to get your guy's feedback about the artwork here in the reviews so I don't have to log in two different sites to reply, but feel free to speak up there as well._**

 ** _I'm still searching for some stuff after the move, one of these things is the SSD that has the art for Hakame. I should add it to the DA thingamabob by the time the next chapter comes up, didn't want to delay this chapter any longer just so I could find that thing._**

 ** _That's it for now._**

 ** _NINJA EDIT: As of February 3rd the Deviantart page has been updated and now we finally have the art for the damn hag._**


	51. Dirty Harry

_**So, February has been a long month. Broke up with the girlfriend, had to go through a fuckton of renovation stuff, and I had to let go of my dog. The old mutt was already turning fourteen and his little heart wasn't recovering from a surgery.**_

 _ **Sometime during all that shitstorm I ended up with an almost 12k word long chapter. Please enjoy.**_

-.

 **September 28th,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 0310.**

The low buzz woke him up.

Hakuba took a deep breath and rolled off the couch he slept on. No message that came this late into the night could be good news.

"So everything is finally set…" he told himself, now re-reading the brief text.

All the information he had on the case was playing back inside his head as he sat down on top of the small table by the center of the room. Key players, time, location… how high the stakes were.

It took Hakuba a little over a hundred and fifty seconds to get up once more. He needed to at least wash the sleep from his face, unfortunately making it to Momo's bed right now would be far too troublesome for both of them and it was too late for him to boot up a movie without waking Shoji up. His friend's good hearing and general alertness were problematic every so often, more so since Momo's birthday.

The courtyard was the third-best place to relax.

Getting back asleep without Momo around after that message would be impossible even with his usual "set aside" trick for dealing with tension, so he decided to pick up his shamisen and head down to his usual spot on the grass for a little practice.

Instrument in hand, Hakuba opened the door just in time to see the elevator on the girl's side opening up.

Asui came out of it, clutching something close to her chest as she walked towards her room.

Took her a few seconds, but eventually she noticed boy missing from the brief reunion she just had with Midorya, Kirishima and Uraraka.

The two just stared at each other for an instant.

Then Asui held the dimly lit screen of her phone out for Machibuse to see. It wasn't possible to see what was on display from across the gap that divided the two sides of the dorms, but it wasn't hard to guess.

Machibuse just nodded in response to the unspoken question, causing the frog girl to slump her shoulders in a nervous sigh before continuing towards her room.

Soon she vanished behind her door and Hakuba was alone once more in that night.

Calmly he made his way down towards the courtyard and sat down.

With a deep breath Hakuba cleared his mind and began playing.

The courtyard was surrounded from all sides and that caused the sound to reverb, but luckily the windows that divided the open space from the corridors above was thick enough to keep the music out.

It was the first movement of a kabuki play; slow paced at first, keeping to a simple rhythm that looped over, the tempo increased as the act reached its climax. It then stopped and shifted into a more lighthearted tune that preluded a more joyous second act.

But the second movement never came.

Hakuba wasn't feeling the music… It that did little to distract him from the news: Sir Nighteye had pinpointed Eri's location; the girl was somewhere down into an underground network of tunnels that ran bellow the main residence of the Shie Hassaikai. The heroes and the police would raid the facility on the morning of the last day of September. Heavy resistance was to be expected.

With a heavy sigh the teen rested the instrument on his lap, this wasn't going anywhere.

"Any suggestions, old man? You and mom were on an anti-smuggling operation, right? Guess you of all people would know a thing or two about dealing with these Hassaikai people…" Hakuba asked as he looked down towards the shamisen, a tinge of grief in his eyes.

Silence was the only response.

"I promise that I will go visit you two once my internship ends. Becoming a hero is rather time consuming, and things haven't been smooth lately… although I think you and Kamihara-san would get well along, he reminds me of you a little." he continued the one-sided conversation.

Another moment of quietude filled the courtyard as Hakuba placed the shamisen onto the grass with great care and proceeded to lay down on his back.

Stars twinkled softly on the night sky above.

"Next month… It's gonna be five years already, huh…"

-.

 **September 28th,** **U.A. Highschool Development Testing Range** **, 1200.**

The arrow zipped through the air and impacted the paper target, embedding itself onto the wood behind.

In between it and the archer stood a pane of nine-millimeter plywood that now had a small hole punched into it. On the floor of the shooting range were a few more panels: One-centimeter drywall, punctured and cleared. Five-millimeter PVC, punctured and cleared. Two-centimeter plaster, punctured and cleared. Two-millimeter laminated glass, punctured and cleared. Three-millimeter sheet aluminum, dented but unbroken. Kevlar cloth, stretched but unbroken. Three-millimeter bulletproof glass, cracked on one side but only deformed on the other.

These last three wouldn't have achieved the same success against one of the still highly restricted armor piercing arrowheads Hatsume had designed, but even with not all tests being cleared by the standard delivery arrow it was hard to deny that White Rider's new bow packed quite a punch when fully drawn.

"It's amazing, isn't it!?" Hatsume asked enthusiastically as she unceremoniously shoved the plywood to the floor and replaced it with a square wooden frame that had a piece of hardened leather stretched over the hole.

"Indeed, although I must admit that the possibility of reliably shooting hostiles through cover is something I will have to get used to." Machibuse responded, now lining up another shot.

He pulled the drawstring.

"A little heavy to pull however." he added.

The arrow soon crossed the air and punched through the leather as if it wasn't even there.

"It's intentional. You are only supposed to use one hundred per cent of the drawn length to punch through stuff or like, really long-range… I mean, this baby puts out just under fifty kilos of force; even if the arrows are non-lethal they will end up giving someone a concussion or breaking bones if you get too gung-ho with it." Hatsume explained as she took a few mental notes of the results and moved on to pry the arrows from the target.

"So it is just a matter of drawing it less?" Machibuse asked, slowly pulling as he gaged the force.

"If you want the same amount of force from your previous bow then you are going to need to draw this one about two thirds of the way. I'd say this improves rate of fire, but you are the archer here so you tell me." Hatsume responded, now skipping towards her client to drag him somewhere else.

"By a small amount, but the real benefit is allowing for tighter movement." Machibuse spoke, his neutral expression struggling to remain strong as the girl suddenly pulled him around.

"Huh, good to know… anyway, good thing you are careful. Don't want my beautiful babies ending up in the news with a body count." Hatsume mused.

Machibuse didn't respond. That innocent comment hit a little too close to home.

Soon the two were back inside the development studio and Machibuse was pretty much shoved into a bench as Hatsume dove into a stack of blueprints for things she wanted to build.

"Now just hold on tight, I know you gotta leave soon to Edgeshot's, but I had this amazing idea and I want you to tell me what you think!" Hatsume shouted from behind the papers.

"Do I have enough time to get changed?" Machibuse asked cautiously as he pointed towards the curtain that separated the studio from the small changing room.

"Uuuh… just leave the bag with caltrops here, I'm gonna need it! And be quick!" Hatsume pretty much ordered as she continued to toss papers around, starting to lose her patience with the missing blueprint.

Machibuse sighed and proceeded to the closed off space where he had left the case that for now contained his uniform. He gave the new, now collapsed bow one last look before he began undressing.

Ignoring Hatsume's enthusiasm for a moment, he took his time to fold the costume and store it with care. He had grown surprisingly fond of that design he came up with on the plane he took a few days prior to U.A.'s entrance exam.

The one minor tweak he still needed to do on the design was deciding on where the red cross symbol would be put. Perhaps an armband would suffice? Or maybe just tailor it to the front of the vest?

"Come on! I found it already!" Hatsume completely derailed his train of thought as she pushed the curtain open.

Machibuse was still hunched over, getting out of his pants.

Ah yes, the glorious and never-at-all-awkward Hatsume experience.

"WHY ARE YOU STOPPING!? I HAVE THIS AMAZING BABY WAITING FOR THE GREEN LIGHT AND YOU ARE STILL HALF NAKED!?"

-.

 **September 29th,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 1259.**

Machibuse was just about to leave for his internship, a little later than the usual but he was given a good reason for it. Kamihara had told him yesterday that they wouldn't be doing patrols until the investigation led by Sir Nighteye was over, it was better not risking an injure that could put the operation at stake. Today would be just a day of training, so Machibuse was expected to arrive after his boss had returned from daytime patrol. Edgeshot knew very little of the details given the secrecy surrounding the operation, but it was easy for him to tell that his intern was a little bit on the edge about the whole ordeal.

For the moment Machibuse was just allowing himself a last minute of laziness before actually get going.

" _Right, getting up in forty-five… forty-four…"_ he counted in his head, now idly eyeing the ceiling of his room.

Then someone knocked on the door.

Machibuse took a deep breath and got his protocol face on.

" _Zero apparently."_

In a moment he was already unlocking the door to meet the rigid gestures of a certain class president.

"Iida-san, can I help you?" Machibuse asked, mildly surprised with that visit. Iida hadn't shown up at his door since he learned about the Hero Killer's sword.

"Machibuse-kun, I am aware that you are supposed to be on your way towards your internship, but please, I need to ask you something!" Iida spoke quickly. Whatever he had in mind was clearly bothering him.

At first Machibuse imagined that it could have something to do with the guidelines students in intimate relationships had to follow, but it was easy to tell that Iida's visit was about something far more serious.

"I have the time… would you like to come in?" Machibuse offered, holding the door open.

Iida took a deep breath and nodded.

"I suppose it is better that we discuss this in private." the class president made his way inside the room, eyes quickly going for the jagged blade on display by the far end of the shelf as Machibuse closed the door behind him.

"Something has you unnerved." Machibuse stated.

"Very much so…" Iida admitted as he turned to face his colleague.

He made a brief pause, apparently choosing his words with care.

"Back before I left for Hosu… before I went chasing the Hero Killer, Midoriya-kun told me that if I needed help all I had to do was ask for it. And lately he has been clearly troubled with something as I am sure you noticed." Iida explained the reason for his visit.

"You are concerned for him." Machibuse concluded.

"Not only for him. With the exception of Tokoyami-kun, all of you who have engaged in the internship program have been growing increasingly tense. Even you… since a few days ago when you went with Midoriya-kun to meet with Sir Nighteye. Midoriya-kun apparently cannot speak about his situation this is why I have come to ask you… maybe you can ease my worries a little if you are allowed to." Iida responded. His gestures oddly absent as he spoke only made the distress he felt more apparent.

"Unfortunately I too am not allowed to disclose any information. It is a very sensible investigation." Machibuse responded with a short sigh.

"I imagined that this would be the case, so I have a favor to ask you." Iida turned his eyes towards the ground for a moment.

"I am afraid that he will end up like my brother… he's always putting himself in more danger than he should." Iida continued, now giving a small glance towards the weapon in the room.

"Midoriya-san has already saved both of us, hasn't he?" Machibuse asked, now making his way towards the shelf.

With great care he picked up the sword and stored it into the scabbard. It was a painful memory for Iida.

"Thanks…" Iida nodded, his eyes now idly running along the shelf and away from everything that happened in Hosu. Apparently Machibuse now had taken a liking to hero history, evidenced by some classics resting between the chemistry and medicine books.

"Super Powered Society" and "Hero Zero" were books Iida also owned, albeit he had different edition of the first. Both were books detailing the formalization of vigilantism in the United States.

"Law and Super Law" was another very important piece of literature for the repertoire of a good hero-in-training.

"Vigilantism versus Commercialism" spiked Iida's interest, the book adaptation of a rather bombastic sociology paper that got the more conservative academics quite vocal. Maybe Iida would ask to borrow that one at a later date.

"Endeavor: Just Another Hero" seemed to be a very odd choice at first, most would have opted to begin with "The Symbol of Peace". But given how Machibuse always had efficiency in mind it wasn't strange to imagine that he would lean more towards the hero with most resolved cases in Japan. Perhaps Machibuse had a soft spot for the father of his fellow recommended student.

Although Iida expected to see a book on another hero… ah, there it was: "Ninja Way", one of the very few pieces of literature that had accurate information about Edgeshot's rise. Just beside the book was a bobblehead figure of the Ninja Hero himself, with some kind of note sticking from underneath it.

"Meta Liberation War" caused Iida to quirk an eyebrow, if his memory served him right that one had been written by a villain and was actually quite a controversial book. Machibuse apparently hadn't got to that one yet, if the still intact cling wrap was enough of a clue.

And the last one was… "Lunch Rush's Lunch Rush: Ninety-Nine Recipes For A Heroic Meal"… Fitting.

Iida's eyes continued further.

He stared at the photo of the infant Machibuse with his parents for a moment, an odd question popping into his mind, but they didn't have the time now.

"I assume you would like for me to ensure that Midoriya-san's recklessness does not get the best of him." Machibuse gave Iida a faint smile.

"I doubt that you five will be unsupervised when this investigation heads to a close, but… yeah." Iida gave a small chuckle as he turned to leave, he had already stalled his classmate's departure enough.

But he stopped just shy of the door.

"Not only him, keep an eye out for everyone… and for yourself as well. You are Class 1-A support, so you need to be well enough to care for the others."

"Orders received, president."

-.

 **September 29th,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 1915.**

It was supposed to be a normal night back at the dorms; some people watching TV, a few others just chatting, but there was a feeling of tension hanging in the air of Class 1-A's dorm, and it was heavier than usual. Asui and Uraraka were sitting together in the main room of the common area, trying to go over the classes they had lost recently but clearly focused on something else. Kirishima was sitting on the floor in front of the television, nervously fidgeting with whatever he had in hand. Midoriya and Machibuse were nowhere to be seen, the first just made it straight for his room after class ended and the later still had to return from his internship.

Dinner was going to be served a little later than usual according to a message Machibuse had sent a few hours ago.

Also absent from the common area were Tokoyami, who returned to Hawk's agency earlier that week, and both Yaoyorozu and Hagakure, who were last seen entering the baths some ten minutes ago.

The usual chit-chat that happened in the common area of the dorms was still going, but by now everyone clearly knew that something was up but they couldn't ask about it. Bakugo made that very clear a few minutes ago when he berated Kirishima for turning the television off while fiddling with the remote; for the last couple of days he had been constantly trying to get his red-haired friend to spit out what was happening, only to be denied every single time.

Suddenly that bit of tension exploded through the roof as the door opened to a familiar face and puff of smoke.

"Now where is that walking sack of problems?" Machibuse Hakame demanded loudly as she made her way in. Aisawa was just a few feet behind her.

Just the sound of her voice caused the members of class 1-A that were at the lobby of I-Island's central tower to shot up to their feet and stand in attention.

"Is that Machibuse's…" Ashido muttered as she turned towards Jiro.

"Your grandson is yet to return from Edgeshot's agency, Ma'am!" Iida informed, voice loud and clear. Good thing the class president was in his natural element when dealing with that kind of situation.

Bakugo on the other hand…

"Oi, granny! You can't smoke in here!" the blonde shouted as he walked up towards the old woman he recalled seeing during the I-Island incident.

The elder took a deep, stressed-out, puff of her brass cigarette holder and muttered something in Okinawan, clearly displeased about having to deal with all that noise.

"B-Bakugo, you shouldn't…" Kaminari and Mineta weakly warned.

"Didn't you hear me!?" Bakugo pressed on, now standing right in front of the elderly transgressor.

Aisawa was just about to step in, well aware of what was about to happen, but he took a second too long to intervene.

In an instant a sharp pain on his right foot caused Bakugo to bend forward slightly. That damn hag had slammed her cane right onto his toes.

And after that he was sent straight into the floor as the elder Machibuse whipped her forehead against the bridge of his nose. She clearly could've broken it if she wanted… hell, she almost knocked Bakugo out.

"No wonder that Shigaraki's group had their eye on you. Keep overstepping your authority like that and you will keep up attracting the wrong crowd." she warned, now calmly placing the cane underneath her arm before fixing her hair.

"The fuck…" Bakugo grumbled as he pushed himself to a sitting position, his head still throbbing hard and his vision mostly a blur.

"U.A.'s less than ideal standards for how their students should behave aside… how long until Fura arrives? I have a busy day tomorrow and waiting for him to show up is not high on my list for tonight." the elder Machibuse walked around the Bakugo and pressed her cigarette against the inside a nearby bin, putting the ember out.

"Normally he is already back by this time." Aisawa pointed out as he now moved between the slowly rising Bakugo and their guest.

"Machibuse-kun informed us that he would arrive a little later than usual, means that he is busy back in Edgeshot's agency, Ma'am! He usually returns around nine PM when that happens, just in time to begin preparing dinner!" Iida once more provided the information, visibly more tense as he preferred to avoid any more harm being done to his classmates.

"So I not only have to wait for that waste of breathable air to actually arrive but I also have to wait for him to prepare that barely passable slag he calls food?" the elder Machibuse rolled her eyes.

"I-If that is too much trouble we can just cook by ourselves…" Ojiro suggested meekly.

"Or we can order something maybe? Sounds about right…" Kaminari offered a solution as well, a quiet mumbling followed suit.

The sound of Hakame's cane rocking against the floor was more than enough to silence everyone once more.

"Point me to the kitchen. Suppose that if I want something done right around here I got to do it myself… at least that will get me busy while he doesn't show up." she ordered, causing almost half of the students to immediately point towards the far end of the common area.

"You with the glasses seem to be competent enough, come with me." Hakame added, pointing towards Iida with her cane before walking away.

Iida swallowed hard as Kaminari, Sero and a few others saluted.

In his mission to save his classmates he ended up throwing himself into the fire.

"We'll never forget you…"

"Down like a true martyr."

Now everyone in the common area was tense for another reason, pretty much all of them only daring to peek at what was happening at the kitchen whenever Jiro or Shoji ensured that the coast was clear.

Apparently they were going to have a two-course dinner tonight.

"Sensei… did something happen? Why is she here?" Todoroki asked as he turned towards 1-A's homeroom teacher, who had been watching their guest from a safe distance.

"The principal and All Might wanted to discuss something with her. Don't know exactly what, but Midnight suggested it might have something to do with All For One." Aisawa responded with a small shrug. He wanted to go back to sleep and the younger Machibuse couldn't come a second too soon.

"Why the hell is Pinprick's old crone _here_?" Bakugo almost barked the question. That damn hag would get her comeback sooner or later.

"No idea. She just decided to come here after that meeting, said she had something family business to deal with." Aisawa responded.

"Not even Aisawa-sensei wants to go against her…" Ashido whispered, causing the teacher's hair to flare up slightly as to warn her to not press on with that commentary.

The sharp sound of the elder's voice caused everyone to stiff.

Apparently her assistant was not up to her standards, as evident by Iida meekly joining his classmates.

"She kicked me out…" he admitted in a shaky voice that would've fitted his confrontation with the Hero Killer.

Machibuse really couldn't return a second too soon…

"Did something happen?" a voice came from the hallway.

Hakagure and Yaoyorozu had returned, folded clothes inside baskets in their arms as they prepared to head back to their respective rooms. The later with the Okinawan hairpin resting on top of her belongings, her hair loose from the usual ponytail.

"Yaomomo! Thank god!"

The girl recoiled slightly as half a dozen of her classmates rushed in pleading.

"Umm… can I assist with something?" Yaoyorozu asked reluctantly.

"Your extended family is in the kitchen. Get that hag out of here before I lose my patience." Bakugo ordered in a bitter tone.

"Excuse me?" Yaoyorozu blinked in confusion.

"The Captain's grandmother showed up and decked him hard." Jiro informed in a mostly neutral tone as she pointed towards Bakugo with her thumb, causing the blond to snap at her.

"W-well, I suppose I shouldn't leave her waiting." Yaoyorozu spoke mostly to herself, not exactly surprised by how things went between Bakugo and Hakame. Been a couple of months since she last met Hakuba's grandmother, since the aftermath of Kamino if she remembered correctly.

She took a quick breath and made it for the kitchen. She could tell that every single of her classmates back at the common area, as well as their homeroom teacher, had their eyes peeled to see what would happen now.

Momo still had a small lump in her throat as she came closer.

The smell in the kitchen was absolutely amazing.

"Oh, there you are. I hope Fura hasn't traumatized you with his attempt at Okinawan food." Hakame beckoned the girl to join her into the kitchen. Her voice was _almost_ not aggressive, which was nice.

"Good evening, Ma'am." Momo bowed lightly after putting down her basket on a nearby table and now made it around the counter with a lot less weight upon her shoulders.

"I see that you liked the gift… took him long enough to get his act back together with you." Hakame observed as she eyed the hairpin she had procured little over a week ago at her grandson's request.

"Hakuba said that he owned you another favor." Momo gave a small chuckle. The mostly casual conversation surely surprised her classmates, who were still unsure of what to expect from that interaction.

"You'd think Fura would be minimally decent at giving gifts with all the fuss he makes about giving away sweets, but it he actually does that because he has no clue on what else to do for birthdays… he just asked me for something made out of hotaru glass. Knowing the idiot, he would've gone for the blue one. Warm colors are obviously much more your type. By the time I made it out of the store he called me again with the idea of getting a hairpin." Hakame complained as she began draining the water out of a pot.

"His father wasn't much better either… I remember watching Hakaku walking in and out from an antique store in Naha for over an hour as he debated whether or not to buy me my cigarette holder." she added with a long sigh.

Momo could almost see a smile creeping up on Hakame's face as she reminisced about her son.

"Can't say I don't find it strange to not be able to meet my boyfriend's parents." Momo admitted.

"Your first meeting with his mother surely would've been something to behold." Hakame commented.

"Huh?" Momo blinked in confusion.

"I have never seen in all my years a woman more insecure about her cup size than the former Alpha Six. And you surely would've struck a nerve." Hakame casually took a jab at her late daughter-in-law, now taking to sample the broth from one of the pots with a small grin in her face

At that Momo just turned red.

"Now now, we are all girls here… still, those two always complained that Fura spent too much time alone for his own good. They would be happy to know that he found someone that cares for him as much as you do, and I suppose that's plenty." Hakame offered with a small shrug and returned to her work.

Silence filled the air for a moment, but another question was still left hanging.

"You came here to speak with him about what he found about the Nomu, right?" Momo turned her eyes towards the ground as she asked.

"I see you got him to talk… Got some new intel I prefer to discuss face-to-face. There are plenty of things about the Murakumo that are still muddy. And I don't need to tell you that Fura has a target painted on his back; that Nomu might get us a lead about who painted it." Hakame responded, now reaching for her front pocket for another cigarette.

She gave a daring look towards the inconvenient blonde that squinted at her as she lit the paper at the stove.

"Regardless, Fura still has to actually arrive before that. Set up the tables for me, food shouldn't take long." Hakame added after a dragging in the smoke.

Time flew, and in minutes the bulk of Class 1-A was already coming in, mildly cautious about the cook but still lured closer by the unexpected feast that came to life in those last two hours. Sure, they would be needing to replenish the fridge tomorrow, but the sheer amount of food that was presented to them was staggering.

And not just the amount.

It all looked as if it came directly from the screen of one of these shows about fancy restaurants: Spiced jushi rice, filleted fish and perfect golden potatoes cooked and served in a thick vegetable broth.

All that was left was for them to dig in.

Kirishima was the first one to brave the food, slightly concerned about it being as aggressive as the cook.

His eyes went wide.

Glorious.

Didn't take more than a minute for people to be lining up for their servings.

Hakame just walked away towards the courtyard. She needed another smoke break and would like it to be the least noisy as possible.

Her grandson apparently had found a small group of very lively friends. It was a good change of pace.

Another long drag.

A couple of short coughs and a tired sigh.

"I hope you have a good excuse for making me wait." Hakame spoke as the glass door behind her opened.

"Not a good look for the family if I use my Quirk as recklessly as you do. Not racking up a body count with an assassin's fundamentals is not something that I am going to learn in a rush." Hakuba spat.

Hakame just rolled her eyes.

"What are the updates?' Hakuba asked, his grandmother would not be there if things were not important.

"You remember Tamani, correct?" Hakame asked back.

"Tamani Susumu, current Minister of Defense and your former right-hand man." Hakuba informed.

"He has been feeding me some intel. Off-the-books information regarding where the investigation on the Murakumo went after I resigned. Squad Six reported a run in with a strange creature a few months prior to the incident. We knew that it was the same creature that was brought aboard the ship by your godfather because you stated that Alpha Six knew what attacked the cargo bay… but we never cleared up on how exactly Bravo Six came to acquire that Nomu." Hakame began the explanation.

"All For One's interrogation got something?" Hakuba questioned.

"Negative. Albeit now I have some new ammo to play with… honestly this entire shitshow regarding the League of Villains wouldn't be a tenth the problem today if Nana had just left her son in my care instead of making everyone swear to not approach that kid." Hakame had a bitter tone to her voice now.

"Who?" Hakuba gave his grandmother a confused look.

"Toshinori's mentor, the one to possess this "One For All" prior to him… but that is beside the point. The Nomu has been spotted a few times recently: First in an alley nearby Tokyo's fish market about two weeks ago, apparently it attacked one of the members of the League but testimony was hardly reliable: two drunks were blabbering about a "black thing from a nightmare" jumping after a man that used blue fire. The second appearance was on the bay across from Tartarus eight days ago." Hakame explained the situation.

"Somehow it knows that All For One is locked there." Hakuba assumed.

"How these artificial humans work is still a mystery, but investigation assumes that our Angler has some sort of tracking Quirk. The Nomu was last seen a three days ago heading further inland towards Yamanashi through the Sagami river, likely got there via Yokohama's sewer system given the reports of a missing clean-up crew." the elder continued.

"Probably the target understands that getting to All For One is not possible now, so is began searching for someone else." Hakuba spoke, apparently this Angler Nomu wasn't just another attack dog.

"According to the intel I got from Tamani, police is mounting up an operation in the area. There have been sightings of the League in the mountains. I will be joining the search party tomorrow; I doubt that your detective friend will be against that." Hakame concluded her explanation with another drag of her cigarette.

"And why you came in person to tell me this?" Hakuba asked.

"Because there is still a mole hiding away into the Ministry, so vital communications shouldn't be taken lightly. Whoever set your godfather to act in the Murakumo is likely the same person that secured this Nomu for the attack. We capture that thing and maybe it can somehow lead us to our middleman…"

"It is well past time we strike back, isn't it, Fura?"

-.

 **September 30th,** **Tokyo, Shie Hassaikai Residence, Front Gate, 0815.**

It was about to begin.

Heroes and police filled the street, those would be the last few minutes of peace before the raid.

"White Rider, it's your turn." Sir Nighteye approached the teenager that had joined his agency specifically for this day.

In his hand he now held the Quirk-erasing bullet that Fat Gum and his interns managed to secure.

"Yes, Sir!" White Rider straightened his back before picking the bullet with care. All the other chemicals he would need for the task had already been taken, now he had the linchpin for his vaccine.

In a single movement he spun the needle and slammed the drug into his tight. What a nasty payload that was.

White Rider closed his eyes and focused for a moment.

"Those who are going to fight line up! I got more than enough ready to go already!" he called out, springing the Chelicerae on his right hand and motioning for Deku to approach.

Sir Nighteye eyed this small detail with care. The teen in front of him clearly hadn't chosen Deku at random… the first dose of the vaccine likely was the strongest one and protecting One For All was the top priority there. Apparently Edgeshot's intern knew more than he should about All Might.

"Side effects might include a minor increase in pulse, and those of you with emitter and transformation type Quirks might experience a small itching sensation the next time you activate your Quirks. The vaccine should remain in effect for at least forty-eight hundred seconds and will block all drugs similar to the sample by preventing your bodies from absorbing the Quirk-erasing drug. Still, this is only a safety net so avoid taking risks." White Rider informed the heroes that now lined up in front of him.

There was a palpable feeling of release amongst the heroes. Perhaps the most important effect of the vaccine was completely unrelated to its chemistry: Morale. Just knowing that there was a chance to push through something as harmful as the Quirk-erasing drug without risks gave the heroes some much needed peace of mind.

In minutes all the members of the raid team were properly immunized, with about just enough left of the Quirk-erasing drug in Machibuse's system for one or two more doses. The breakdown provided by the police proved to be vital.

"Be ready to move as soon as they've read the warrant. I'm counting on you all to be swift." the head of the police force called everyone's attention.

It was time.

"He keeps saying the same thing over and over. It's like he doesn't trust us." Rock Lock complained.

"Stop being mean." Fat Gum interjected.

"These yakuza are living secretly in the shadows. When they see all these heroes and the police at their doorstep they may just curl up on themselves." Rock Lock justified his pragmatism.

One police officer reached for the doorbell.

There was sudden crash on the other side of the door, and through it came a massive fist.

The Hassaikai had the initiative.

" _Or they might just lash out at us… who thought that they would care for the warrant!?"_ White Rider quickly drew his bow and readied for combat.

"What do you guys want? Bringing so many people this early in the morning…" the hulking villain asked tiredly, his arm bulking up as he readied another blow.

An arrow would not stop a punch like that.

"Get back!" Ryukyu stepped in.

The battle now had really began.

A dragon appeared from behind the dust.

"We shouldn't split our forces here. The Ryukyu Agency will take care of this one. The rest of you go now!" Ryukyu ordered as she easily tossed the villain into the ground.

People immediately began rushing in.

"This is the police! We have a warrant to search the premises of your compound! You are all suspects of manufacturing and selling illegal drugs!" the head of the police shouted, holding his paper for the yakuza to see.

"A search warrant?" one of the yakuza in the patio asked back.

"Who the hell cares!?" a second one shouted, waving his arms forward and reading an attack.

An arrow immediately impacted into his chest, knocking the air out of his lungs.

" _Déjà vú."_ White Rider sighed through his mask as one of the pros quickly pinned the thug against the floor. This whole warrant thing was rather inefficient… sneaking into that house and simply snatching the girl from under the Hassaikai's nose seemed like a lot less trouble.

Now it wasn't the time for that.

Time was limited and the target could very well already be on the run.

More and more goons poured out from the house.

Cannon fodder.

"Leave them to us and go ahead!" one of the pros shouted as he cleaved a path through the mob.

"We are counting on you!" Sir Nighteye responded, being one of the first to step inside the building.

"This is an emergency! Excuse us for not taking off our shoes!" Fat Gum announced the heroes' entrance.

"I got a bad feeling about this, man. We have no choice but to keep going now that we've started, though." Rock Lock muttered.

"I wonder if someone leaked the information to them. It's like they are all gathered here for some reason." Suneater brought up the possibility.

"If someone had, I think they'd be avoiding us more smartly. They should all be used to working together with one will already." The police chief soothed the concerns. It was sound logic.

"They devote their all to their bond with boss and brothers. They might feel ashamed now, but that makes them put more importance on their old bonds. This commotion… and Chisaki and the top brass of the Hassaikai haven't shown themselves up yet. They are probably getting ready to escape now." Eraserhead added as they continued to run, now following Sir Nighteye's lead.

"That's not loyalty! Forcing their henchmen to take the responsibility while they run away is not manly at all!" Red Riot shouted, apparently triggered by that behavior.

"But it is a sound tactic. The Hassaikai doesn't need to win this battle, they just need to not lose for long enough to secure that their plan is not disturbed." White Rider observed.

Suddenly Sir Nighteye stopped in front of a vase.

"There is a device here that opens up a secret passage." he informed, now pushing the vase to the side and tapping over the wooden tiles bellow it.

It was a combination lock, and he already knew the password.

The wall shifted to the side.

More goons.

Easily dispatched by Sir Nighteye's sidekicks.

The real path was clear. The hunt began now as the heroes rushed down the hidden staircase.

And met with a solid wall of stone.

"It's a dead end!" one shouted.

"Explain yourself, Nighteye!" Rock Lock protested.

"I'll go take a look!" Lemillion stepped forward, his head now phasing into the obstacle.

In an instant he turned back.

"It's just been blocked off by this wall, there is a path beyond it. It's a pretty thick wall though." he informed.

"So this is Chisaki's Quirk, huh…" Rock Lock suggested an explanation.

"It's a cheap trick!" Fat Gum clenched his fist.

"It's like he is telling us that there will be trouble if we go that way." Deku spoke, now getting ready to smash through the barrier.

"Yeah, good luck to him if he thinks this will be enough to stop us!" Red Riot followed, arm now hardened and ready to strike.

"The kids aren't half bad." Rock Lock smirked.

"It is safe to assume that this is not going to be the only barrier." White Rider suggested.

"Yeah, let's get moving!" Lemillion didn't wasted a second before sprinting forward.

Other walls after that one hardly caused any trouble. Even if Overhaul was able to rebuild the entire place at will he couldn't make the stone harder. It was just a matter of bulldozing through.

Not how White Rider preferred to deal with problems, but it certainly would do.

The ground felt weird for an instant.

The entire place was moving.

"This is not Chisaki! It's different… the only one who could do this is the director, Irinaka!" the police chief explained. Back on the dossier the police prepared on the Quirks of the top brass of the Hassaikai there was indeed one instance of a man capable of manipulating inanimate objects. Mimic.

The villain had entered the very walls of the tunnel and was now warping it up around the attackers.

"The scale is too large! Wasn't he supposed to be able to control things about as large as a fridge!?" Rock Lock asked out loud as the floor rolled underneath his feet.

"With a big enough boost this kind of thing is possible!" Fat Gum explained.

"Trigger?" White Rider asked, the hooks on his soles keeping him anchored to the floor and preventing him from tumbling like everyone else.

"Yeah, I was taking care to find out where he would be hiding, but I didn't think he would enter the concrete! This has to be hard on him physically… Eraser, can't you get rid of it!?" Fat Gum responded, doing his best to approach the erasure hero despite the unstable footing.

"Not if I can't see the main body!" Eraserhead responded, trying to figure out away to take down the troublesome foe.

Lemillion braced himself on Suneater and spoke something to him. Then he rushed towards the objective.

"No matter how much he warps the path, as long as we know the direction of our goal, I can get there!" he shouted.

"Lemillion!/Senpai!" Sir Nighteye and Deku shouted back.

"Time is of the essence! Those guys know it too, this is why they are stalling! I'm going on ahead!" Lemillion responded before disappearing through the wall.

The movement from the concrete stopped for an instant.

"Irinaka is following Lemillion. He can't be everywhere at once." White Rider observed.

"Or at least he can't sense everything at once. Maybe he needs to show up to keep track of us." Eraserhead was now on the lookout.

Then the floor began moving once more. Irinaka came back.

A hole opened up and the heroes dropped down to the level below.

Midway through the descent another hole opened up to the side of the vertical tunnel and a mass of concrete jutted from the opposite side.

It tried to push White Rider into the hole.

An arrow flew quickly.

The wire tensed up as the teen pulled on his escape rope.

It was close call.

With a thud the group landed, and the tunnel above them closed back up.

"He is trying to isolate me." White Rider warned as he rolled to his feet.

"Any idea why?" Red Riot asked in surprise, now taking a look around their new location.

"Negative. Deku, Red Riot, Rock Lock, I will be sticking close to one of you three at all times. You all have better means than mine to deal with the concrete." White Rider responded.

"So I gotta take care of a kid now? In here?" Rock Lock rolled his eyes.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey… some government authorities have fallen from the skies. Strange things happen, huh?" a voice came from the back of the hall where the group had just been tossed into.

Three hostiles. All with their faces masked in a way: The bulkiest one was a bald man wearing a simple medical mask not too different from the one of the White Rider, the second was a lean man with blond hair and a beak shaped mask, and the third was a slim figure with a ragged burlap sack over his head with holes poked on them.

"Hey Hojo, that one is stealing your look!" the blonde, apparently the face of the trio, snickered as he pointed towards the masked hero-in-training.

It was only then that White Rider realized that his mask had been stolen somehow and was now in the hands of this villain.

"Looks like they are ready for a fight. How about we show them what pros can do?" Fat Gum cracked his knuckles.

Then someone interrupted.

"Save the strength of the pros for the objective. For ones stalling for time… I'll be enough by myself!" Suneater stepped forward.

"What are you saying? Let's work together!" Red Riot protested.

"Yeah, yeah, work together. I'll kill all of you." the villain teased.

"It's Setsuno! We can't use guns against him!" the police chief shouted.

" _So that's "Larceny", huh? Good thing he didn't came for my bow."_ White Rider thought, now thinking about the other two Quirks they were up against.

Crystalize and Food were much simpler to understand with the information he had. That trio was a close-range unit, and Larceny ensured that ranged weaponry wouldn't be a problem.

"So you have already figured it out? Makes it easier to go all out!" Setsuno charged forward, sword in one hand as the other readied to steal something.

"We won't let you!" Eraserhead stepped in, countering the Larceny Quirk.

Hojo then made his move, drawing a handgun.

"I've heard about a hero that can erase Quirks… it's like an inferior version of Eri's." he stated.

It was a standoff, and time was in the yakuza's favor.

Suddenly a mass of tentacles surged forth and the three yakuza were thrown against the wall.

"It won't do us any good to all fight against them. With so many pro heroes here we would be playing right into their hands. We should save the pros' Quirks, including Eraser's, for the big boss! We should also save our power to wiggle around through the underground, too! The police needs to save ammo!... Fat Gum! If it's me alone, I can completely shut down these three!" Suneater stated firmly in an unexpected display of courage.

Fat Gum was silent for an instant.

"Let's go!" he began moving without a second thought.

Eraserhead too the chance to knock out the burlap yakuza and moved on.

"Please take care of Mirio! He definitely is going to try too hard, so please go help him." Suneater ushered the group forward as a tentacle reached down for something on the floor.

"Machibuse-kun…" he added, now presenting the stolen mask back to its owner.

"My gratitude senpai, this is something important. Good luck." White Rider gave a quick nod and dashed after the pros. Staying within Setsuno's range was too troublesome.

The now thinned group continued after Overhaul, they didn't have a second to waste.

"This is strange… that guy that was twisting the corridors hasn't appeared in a while." Eraserhead pointed out.

"I noticed that too. He has his attention somewhere else or something is preventing him from attacking." White Rider added to that, his eyes constantly scanning around for signs of movement.

"If he isn't putting around any more obstacles while we are running then our opponent most definitely is not able to observe and control the entire basement. There is the police squad that remained above too, maybe he is focusing his attention on them." Eraserhead continued.

"You are saying that he's limited in the area he can keep tabs on?" Rock Lock asked, an eye out for the hooded teen that Irinaka target previously.

"The intel said that he can hide inside objects, so he likely is unable to see what happens around that object." White Rider suggested.

"It's just a prediction. He went into the basement to control it. If it's not that he has been assimilated into it, but that he is moving around inside the walls to see and hear what is going on, then that means that when he is manipulating the basement his body must be close. If an eye or ear from his main body is peeking through to try and block us… then I can see him." Eraserhead concluded his explanation.

"That marks you as the main target, Eraserhead." White Rider turned towards his teacher.

"So he went after you to distract us?" Red Riot pondered loudly.

"It's a possibility. Machibuse, keep your eyes peeled either way." Eraserhead nodded.

"Yes, Sir!"

The words had barely made it out of White Rider's mouth when the concrete moved once more. A hole opened up just besides his teacher as the opposite wall surged forth to push him through.

White Rider was a distraction after all.

It happened in an instant, but the result was much different from what anyone expected: Eraserhead was still there, Fat Gum and Red Riot were missing.

No time to waste, the hole was already closed.

The group continued to run towards their target. Now with an extra layer of worry over their shoulders.

It was a mostly silent trip, very little conversation happening to dampen the sound of the group's footsteps.

Then Irinaka attacked again. This guy was starting to become a nuisance.

The hallway twisted and folded over itself, but Rock Lock was quick react and freeze the walls in place.

It quickly came down to a battle of attrition, but inch by inch the heroes and the police were being boxed in.

Deku could only do so much to break the concrete that kept on trying to crush everyone with one kick after another. But he only had so much stamina to throw around.

"Deku." White Rider called out, Chelicerae already out. It was the best he could do to help.

"Thanks…" Deku panted a little as he felt the injectors pricking the skin of his bicep. Almost immediately he could feel his body getting lighter.

"This should help your system with the effects of lactic acid. You might feel less tired now, but the damage to your body is still there so it is only a temporary relief. I will get you something for that once you can stop for a minute." White Rider informed, now scanning the area for signs of this irksome yakuza that kept attacking them. Whatever drug Irinaka had used surely wouldn't last much longer, or Irinaka himself would get knocked out by the drug… Machibuse knew a thing or two about overdosing.

Deku jumped forward, ready to shatter another mass of concrete

Suddenly the entire hallway expanded into a room.

"What are they planning this time?" one of the policemen asked out loud.

Silence.

Then a series of walls suddenly came in to split the group.

It was just Deku, Eraserhead and White Rider now. The former almost got crushed right now, but his teacher managed to snag him out of the way, and the later had to do a fair bit of dodging himself. Irinaka once more tried to isolate him.

So he wasn't a distraction? This was getting much more confusing now. What the Hassaikai was planning that needed him out of the picture?

"Sorry." Deku apologized for the trouble.

"Don't worry about it. Why separate us now…?" Eraserhead readied for the worse.

"The ones holding back Irinaka are you two and Rock Lock. He has a plan to take you three out separately." White Rider proposed, now leaning an ear against the newformed wall.

"Should be easy enough to break, seems thin." he added, now knocking onto the concrete with the back of his fist.

He didn't need to have his ear against the wall to hear Rock Lock shouting something and then suddenly going silent.

"Rock! What is happening!?" Eraserhead shouted.

White Rider gave a quick glance back towards Deku and jumped away as he readied his bow, they needed to breach that wall and fast.

The dust cleared and everything was suddenly weird.

Rock Lock was wounded, laying on his stomach with blood pooled around him.

But he wasn't the only Rock Lock in that room, another Rock Lock was also kneeling besides the wounded one.

"A fake appeared out of nowhere and attacked me! Be careful! They've got more people down here! And they are going to be back soon!" the conscious Rock Lock shouted, sounding genuinely distressed.

Eraserhead rushed towards the fallen man as Rock Lock approached Deku.

A familiar sensation creeped up White Rider's spine once he locked eyes with this Rock Lock. Whoever attacked that room was certainly a predator, and his own survival instinct was screaming just like during the provisional license exam…

In an instant he knocked an arrow and fired.

He knew very well who the real Rock Lock was.

Rock Lock nimbly dodged the shot and proceeded to draw a knife as he lunged forward.

Eraserhead snapped his head back, hair now flaring up as he targeted the fake.

"Toga Himiko!" Deku shouted in surprise as the less than clothed girl rushed after him with her blade.

The League of Villains was there as well.

"Oh, I'm so happy to see you again! So happy!" Toga giggled as she continued slashing.

In an instant her midsection was wrapped around in Eraserhead's Capturing Weapon. Letting her escape was a risk they couldn't take.

In an instant the villain used the pull to launch herself over the pro attacking her, her knife quickly stabbing into Eraserhead's shoulder.

Toga readjusted her grip on the handle, she wanted more blood.

A swift flying axe kick forced her to reconsider and retreat. She wanted to play more with her dear Izuku, but they were being interrupted nonstop.

"I'm cutting you up next, stinky-blood!" Toga glared her threat at White Rider as she jumped away just in time for a wall to descend and split her from the fight.

"Stinky-blood?" White Rider rose a confused eyebrow as he repeated the diss. He found it to be… surprisingly offensive? Where did that come from?

"Sensei!" Deku came in running.

"I'm okay. More importantly, get the knife. Machibuse, stop Rock Lock's bleeding. I've heard that Toga uses blood to fuel her Quirk." Eraserhead gave the orders, now clutching his wound.

Deku and White Rider exchange a weary look. It was now clear that Toga had attacked both of them during the exam.

White Rider took a deep breath and began tending to Rock Lock. It was a deep cut, almost punctured the victim's left lung. One quick glance towards the knife; straight blade, sharp but not jagged. The inside of the wound be a clean cut.

Quickly White Rider pushed a Chelicerae into the opening that loaded his suture wire; Rock Lock would've already died if that cut had reached any deeper. Perhaps he managed to use his Quirk just in time to prevent Toga from striking any further, or perhaps he just had some ungodly amount of luck.

First he needed to stop the bleeding, otherwise Rock Lock would be dead all the same.

One quick hit from the Chelicerae would begin the process.

"Eraserhead, come here, you need attention too. I will give you the same antihemorrhagic and then I will start the real operation with him." White Rider called out.

"Forget about me, I'm fine." the pro got up to his feet.

The hero-in-training rolled his eyes.

Eraserhead stumbled forward as an arrow impacted his wounded shoulder.

"Sensei, I was tasked with taking care of everyone in Class 1-A. That includes you. Stand still while I clear Rock Lock's wound and suture it, then it is your turn." White Rider gave a tired sigh and stored his bow. It was time to get to work.

"That old nurse is rubbing off on you." Eraserhead groaned as he sat back down and pulled the arrow out. Arguing with medics never ended well.

The three of them heard a quick scuffle taking place on the last wall that had divided their group, then the sound of another wall coming down halted that battle.

Deku busted the wall in between the two rooms. Apparently everything was fine, Sir Nighteye had a quick bout against Twice, but aside from the damage done to his suit everything was fine.

"The League is in here as well." Sir Nighteye informed as the two parties regrouped once again.

"We need to keep an eye out. If Kurogiri is involved then we might end up with people popping out everywhere." Eraserhead noted.

Then the entire place shook once again. This time much more violently. Irinaka was finally losing it.

White Rider immediately picked Rock Lock over his shoulder, the man could barely breath let alone dodge. That cut was a massive risk in case Irinaka tossed him around.

A high-pitched scream came from somewhere unseen.

"That yell! Your all heard it?" Eraserhead asked out loud.

"We are going to be crushed like this!" the chief of police shouted as he moved out of the way of the almost alive ground.

White Rider continued to scan the area, Irinaka had to be exposed somewhere close.

He trained his eyes for that, where would the enemy be hiding?

Then his sight landed up a small hole, just big enough for a hand to fit through.

"Deku!" he called out, there was no time for him to drop Rock Lock and ready a shot. They needed Irinaka exposed for his Quirk to be erased.

The greenhead looked back, only to be met with his classmate pointing with his head towards the topmost part of a wall.

Another yell came just as Deku noticed the hole.

In an instant Deku tore the wall apart and Eraserhead had suppressed the yakuza's Quirk.

Finally that hassle had been dealt with. And apparently it was thanks to the League of Villains.

Taking that guy out felt like a massive weight being lifted.

"Any of you are wounded?" White Rider called out, now very carefully placed Rock Lock down and began sewing up the wound at the man's side. He would need a proper surgery after this thing was over, but at least White Rider could make sure that the pro would live to fight another day

"The policemen have a few cuts and bruises, but it seems that everyone is mostly fine." Deku gave a quick look around.

"Good. You sit down here too; your body still needs that break. Please do not make me use another arrow for that." White Rider responded; eyes still glued to the operation he was performing.

It was a moment of peace as the police tried to get some questions out of Irinaka, but the man was just too high to respond properly.

"Fat Gum guessed right. The drug probably already wore off; he doesn't have that power anymore." Eraserhead spoke, meaning that Irinaka wouldn't be a problem anymore.

"I will get him to sleep in a moment then." White Rider offered as he tied the knot into the suture, now allowing a single drop of an ammonia based chemical run down his finger. Rock Lock was awake almost immediately once he inhaled the smell.

"Ugh…" he groaned.

"Please do not move too much. I still need to bandage your torso, just to be safe." White Rider instructed as he helped his patient to a sitting position.

"We still need to find the League of Villains. They must be hiding somewhere." the police chief stated. Things now had gotten really messy.

"Toga… Toga, Twice… I WON'T FORGIVE YOU! YOU TRAITORS!" Irinaka began screaming.

"Where are the other members of the League?" Sir Nighteye took the chance to try and squeeze out some intel.

"LIKE HELL I KNOW! I'M GONNA FIND THOSE TWO! I'M GONNA FIND THEM ALL AND BREAK THEIR SKULLS OPEN!" Irinaka continued, almost foaming at the mouth now.

"This means that those two were the only ones here, huh?" Sir Nighteye concluded.

There was a quick back and forth between the police force, they were right about having to go after Toga and Twice. Those two were too dangerous to be left to escape.

For a moment it was hard to say whether or not Deku and White Rider would remain on the mission. Crossing paths with the League was a strict no.

"The hell you all are standing around for!? Leave the League to the police! What is our top priority here!?" Rock Lock half shouted half groaned as the pain made speaking way harder than expected.

"He is right. This would be the best solution." the police agreed.

"Either way, someone needs to keep an eye out on Irinaka. And thanks to that girl I won't be jumping around for a while. If you get it then hurry up and move your legs." Rock Lock admitted painfully.

"Think of everyone up there in the street… those that got separated! Don't waste the time everyone worked so hard to get! GO!" he added with gusto.

In an instant everyone was already moving again.

"I will just tend to the injured! Go on ahead!" White Rider spoke as he made haste to see how badly the policemen had it. If Deku was correct then he wouldn't be too far behind.

But he had the time to step onto Irinaka's tight. That man wouldn't be a problem anymore if he spent the next hour snoring.

Everything was quiet for a while. It had been a hell of a morning thus far.

" _Four hundred and three… four hundred and four… four hundred and five…"_

White Rider counted the time. There were very few members of the police force that needed his help, most were fine. One had two broken fingers and another suffered a small concussion; those two would be staying behind with Rock Lock and the sleeping yakuza.

The medic took a deep breath as he got up. He had a mission to see through.

With haste he rushed down the corridor.

Then the entire compound shook. But this was different from before.

White Rider could see the fight happening far into the distance, but whatever just rocked the basement was strong enough to collapse the corridor. He would need another way in.

The hallway reeked of alcohol, on the floor there was one of the members of the Hassaikai and a shattered bottle of the same cheap sake his mother always had liked.

Someone had given that guy a good trashing already, but it was hard to say for sure whether or not he was knock out, drunk out of his mind or just sleeping. Maybe it was a mix of the three.

White Rider continued to run, now taking the only available path, it was a short stairway that led further down, but the corridor at the end of it was in the same direction on the battle.

It was his best shot.

The basement continued to shake. The battle was raging on and getting even more intense. He had a bad feeling about this.

Another tremor, this one bigger than any of the previous.

He continued running.

The sound of rubble falling inside the room next to him caused him to stop.

" _If the roof collapsed in there… then that means I can reach them!"_

White Rider tried to open the door. Barred, heavy, but not by much.

" _I hate doing this…"_ he sighed and reached for the device on his chest.

One brown pill down, one quick prick to the back of the neck.

He hated using this drug. It felt a little _too_ good to have something this strong going through his system. Muscles bulged and pupils got larger, he needed the extra oomph to his muscles right now.

White Rider backed away and prepared to kick the door open. The hardwood door felt like papier-mâché. It was very hard to hold back with that thing fueling his biology. This is what Edgeshot had him training to do, to push further to the limits of his self-control so more possibilities would be created.

The room was mildly lit by an opening to the battle above.

But there was more in there.

Eraserhead was bound, eyes covered by his Capturing Weapon.

Standing over him was Overhaul's aide. Kurono Hari, Chronostasis.

The man eyed him with a serious expression.

"Mimic didn't manage to take you, but it seems like our plans for you will still be within reach." Chronostasis spoke, both opponents now sizing each other.

"So you were after me this whole time. Why?" White Rider carefully studied the scenario.

"You have no need to know." Chronostasis responded coldly, now donning his mask.

It all happened in an instant.

The arrow-shaped hair surged forward.

The hero-in-training rolled forward to dodge.

The battle above caused another chunk of the roof to fall down.

They were back to neutral, both fighters were well aware that one hit from the other effectively ended the duel.

Standstill.

"S-so hwat is all thish noise? W-where is ttah blond pis of sshit?" another voice came in. The battle had woken up the defeated Hassaikai member that was on the floor of the corridor above.

Suddenly White Rider could barely stay on his feet as he basically leaped forward to avoid being hit by Chronostasis.

"Luck is most definitely with us today. Sakaki, hold him still. Overhaul wants him alive." the aide instructed.

Chronostasis couldn't help but let a small grin form in his lips underneath the mask.

"To think that almost five years after the boss prohibited us from taking place at the auction you would just present yourself to our cause. Kai will surely be pleased." Chronostasis almost couldn't believe how things played out so perfectly.

Five years?

Auction?

Wants him alive?

Those words echoed inside Machibuse's head; he began shaking as the drunken yakuza approached him. The tattoo ached and burned.

The Murakumo.

The Hassaikai knew who had set everything in motion. Their boss knew at the very least.

Machibuse stopped thinking for an instant.

"Target acquired."

…

..

.

 _ **AN: Been a while since I left you guys with a good old cliff hanger huh?**_

 _ **Writing the Hassaikai Raid is really weird, there is so much happening and everything happens at the same time and ridiculously fast. Didn't felt natural to divide this chapter into two.**_

 _ **See you guys next time.**_


	52. The Food Chain

_**Guess who had to spend the last two weeks in isolation because of the good old COVID-19? It's all good in the hood now, been home for the last few days recovering. Working with imports has its problems, but I at least can get the "survived a global pandemic" squared off the bucket list.**_

 _ **Joking aside, wash your hands and take care. It is not a fun ride to go on.**_

 _ **Suppose it's the irony of having the main character wearing a mask on the story's cover.**_

 _ **PS: Holy fuck, 500 favorites.**_

-.

 **September 30th, Yamanashi, Minami Alps, 1030.**

The convoy wasn't slowing down the slightest.

"Eyewitness reports, huh? This deep in the mountains with no sign of life… Is he really here? Kurogiri of the League of Villains." Gran Torino asked as he studied the photo of today's mark.

"There have been four eyewitness reports in the last four days. Since there aren't many people in here, they are more credible." Tsukauchi explained the scenario as he continued to drive.

"And besides, the Nomu you are tracking also appears to be moving towards these mountains." the detective added, now looking over his shoulder and towards the passenger on the back seat of his car.

"Hakame… think your friend has come for Kurogiri?" Gran Torino also turned his attention to the woman behind him.

"We are working with the possibility that the angler has some sort of tracking Quirk. But something is off; if it has been meaning to reach Kurogiri than there isn't a reason for this meeting to happen here in the mountains." Machibuse Hakame responded nonchalantly as she continued to file her nails.

"That's right… Kurogiri's Warp Gate is perfect for secrecy. And even so he has been seen four times. If Kurogiri's mission was simply recovering this rogue Nomu then he would have done so back in the sewers." Gran Torino nodded in agreement.

"Both Kurogiri and the Nomu are after something in these mountains. The same thing." Hakame concluded with a tired sigh.

"Even if we don't understand the League's motives, this is our best chance to arrest Kurogiri, and with him under custody it can't take long for us to find out what this angler Nomu is searching for. We definitely want this to work. We are counting on you two; Gran Torino, Conquest." Tsukauchi gave a determined nod to both his passengers.

"Good grief, you are working this old man to the bone." Gran Torino chuckled.

"I have a real name, Detective. And I prefer that people use it." Hakame warned in a serious tone.

"Well, it is the name on your hero license." Gran Torino took a jab.

"A hero license that I only got because the law required me to. And differently from a certain midget in this car, I never grew fond of the hero gig after being forced into it." Hakame scowled, leaning her elbow against the frame of the window and her head against her fist.

Gran Torino looked down towards the floor for a moment before turning back to her.

"You know our friend would be happy to see you doing hero work again after all these years." he spoke, a tinge of joy in his voice.

"And you know I would be telling Nana to take that obnoxious smile of hers and shove it." Hakame rolled her eyes and turned away, now observing the trees zooming past the speeding vehicle.

Silence stood still for a moment

Then Tsukauchi's radio came online with the news. Kurogiri had been located.

The convoy pulled over.

"We are converging on your position. What's the situation?" Tsukauchi responded quickly as he placed the communication device on his ear.

In less than five minutes the police force and their two strikers for the day were already ready to begin the operation.

"Target has been spotted. He should be reaching a small clearing by now, three-hundred meters north of our position." Tsukauchi instructed, now reaching for his revolver.

"I suppose you can handle Kurogiri by yourself until I get there." Hakame commented as she calmly began setting a pinkish cigarette onto her brass holder. This would be plenty enough.

"Don't stress yourself over it." Gran Torino responded as he sped towards the clearing.

Soon after there was a loud crash coming from the woods.

"Suppose I'm not the only one getting old… took him an entire three seconds to deal with that rat." Hakame sighed, now running alongside the policemen in order to secure their target. Gran Torino wasn't the only one who got slower with age, as evidenced by a few more speedy officers getting ahead of her.

Wouldn't take too many years for her to actually need her cane to move around. Hakame mostly carried the thing around because it was convenient to have something hard to clobber people with.

There they were, Gran Torino standing over the shadowy figure of the League's teleporter.

"Gran Torino! Be careful! He can use his Warp Gate not only with his head, but also with his hands. He is hard to pin down." Tsukauchi warned as he took aim at the criminal.

"I know. If he tries anything I will just accelerate and take him with me… If you got a preference for a date, then I'll take you wherever you want." Gran Torino soothed the detective's concerns.

"You dragged me all the way here already. Suppose my method should be more efficient, let me just have a word with him." Hakame spoke as she approached, a silver lighter in hand as she lit her cigarette and took a few puffs.

"So you are the mist-man… you feel like talking now or would prefer the change of scenery? There is a high-security cell in Tartarus already waiting for you." she added, now leaning close to Kurogiri's head as she got down to one knee.

Each of her words came with an almost invisible cloud of gas strong enough to send a grown man into deep slumber within less than two minutes of breathing it.

"Now, so just I don't waste my time, why are you here and where is the angler Nomu?" the elder Machibuse questioned the surprisingly passive man Gran Torino was pinning to the ground with his feet.

"Angler Nomu? I'm afraid I don't know what you are talking about, Ma'am." Kurogiri responded.

He sounded genuinely confused. Perhaps the Miasma had begun affecting him already?

"Have you two heard the rumors about a wild man appearing in this area?" Kurogiri spoke again, his tone indicating that he was still resisting the gas that now pooled around where his face was supposed to be.

"What?" Gran Torino asked.

"There have been reports about an unknown individual living in these mountains for the last few months. None of those were confirmed though." Hakame answered the villain's question.

"It seems he has gotten a little too much attention recently, but I guess it can't be helped. I have business with that wild man." Kurogiri explained, shifting a little to the side as he tried in vain to reach for more breathable air.

"Tell us about it later. In detail." Gran Torino decided to not take any risks.

It was then that the ground began shaking.

"What are these vibrations!?" Tsukauchi began searching around for an explanation.

It felt like an earthquake at first… then another… then another.

"Something is coming." the elder Machibuse readied for trouble.

"That man is always looking at the future." Kurogiri seemed unphased by what was happening as his conscience drifted away.

Things took a drastic turn for the worse.

A gargantuan figure came into view, his crooked back cutting above the tree line. It seemed to be a man, spiked hair and rocky features all over his body

"Detective Tsukauchi, Gran Torino, Former minister of defense… Shigaraki Tomura was not the only one that man raised... One of All For One's faithful servants: Gigantomachia." Kurogiri introduced the newfound threat as he now blacked out.

"Everything… Is for my master…" the monster spoke, slowly rising his hand.

Gigantomachia surely struck like the thunder he made. The very trees seemed to scurry away from the impact as the wind knocked the frailer ones to the ground. Good thing most of the police force remained away from the clearing, casualties would've been much higher otherwise.

Something shifted inside the dust cloud.

Hakame barely had time to move her head out of the way as a set of massive claws speared over her shoulder with a low buzz. At the opposite end of the elongated arm stood another alien figure.

It lurched forward after quickly attempting to swat Gran Torino away from Kurogiri, massive jaws wide open.

A sharp uppercut from the elderly woman forced the creature's mouth to close as it reeled back.

Her hand throbbed, it felt like punching a bag of iron fillings.

"So there you are… Torino! Secure Kurogiri and get the police out of here! We are not getting another chance like this one!" Hakame shouted as she observed the angler Nomu leaping back towards Gigantomachia and quickly climbing onto his shoulders.

Kurogiri had nothing to do with the Nomu coming this far into the mountains. It had been searching for Gigantomachia all along.

"Cut that bravado, Hakame! This is suicide! You can't fight both of them!" Gran Torino shouted back.

"I know I can't! So do your damn job and do it quickly while I keep them busy! I'm going to need you to bail me out from this one!" Hakame responded, quickly tucking her cigarette holder into the bun of her hair and quickly reaching for her box of chemical suppliers.

She hastily lit the dark-red rollup and breathed in her ammo. This was no time for theatrics; big guns were out already.

The former minister of defense had a small smirk on her lips as she breathed in the smoke and allowed her Quirk to work its magic once more. Last time she busted one of these black cigarettes, she ended up getting a paragraph in the Geneva Protocol named after her.

Those were the good old days.

In an instant Gran Torino vanished, with Kurogiri asleep on one shoulder and a half-awake Tsukauchi on the other. He needed to go back and pick up three more people still, and he knew very well that time was running out.

A sickly-sweet scent filled the air as Hakame unleashed a torrent of colorless gas that only distorted the air around her.

She took another deep breath, the smell apparently irritated both her opponents to a certain degree, and that meant that their method of tracking Kurogiri was now being jammed by her gas. Having a hyper acute sense of smell was just about the worst possible Quirk to have up against the Miasma.

That also meant that she was the single possible target for them to focus on.

"Now let's see if I will be getting any older than I'm today."

-.

 **September 30th,** **Tokyo, Shie Hassaikai Underground Network, Time Unknown.**

Standing up was hard, but he couldn't afford being defenseless right now. His mind was going at a million miles per hour. The nightmare was happening again…

Once more he had become prey. Prey to be captured and made into a draft animal to toil for some unknown owner.

It was so damn obvious…

No…

Deep down he already knew why he was a target. Why his father also had people coming after him… perhaps he just didn't want to see it.

But now he couldn't blind himself to the truth.

Opioids, hallucinogens, stimulants, Trigger, the Hassaikai's Quirk-Destroying drug… He was no more than a tool. A vector. A catalyst for massive profiting for any drug operation. What happened at the Murakumo was a botched attempt to abduct him and his father. They were going to be auctioned like cattle.

Off the corner of his eyes he was able to see the drunken yakuza approaching. The man had a set of knifes in one hand, blades sticking out between his fingers.

He tried to stand up once more, his sense of balance was basically non-existent and forced him to reach down and support himself with one hand as his legs slowly tried to get in better position.

Overhaul's aide spoke something.

None of those words were heard by him.

The source of this unbalancing was closing in.

Fear… then...

" _I need you to fight… I know that it is a lot to ask, but I need you to do it again, to push your fear to the side, to face everything that is headed our way the same way you did down there. You will need to do everything you can without holding back."_

His mother had told him to fight. Fear had no place in a situation like the one he had been through almost five years ago. And it had no place now.

Anger. Fear once more had boiled into anger.

 _"The similarities might run deeper than you think, kid…"_

Chizome was right since the beginning.

The drunken yakuza barely had time to put up his guard. The teen in front of him threw all notion of equilibrium out the window as he dashed forward from his low crouching position.

Running was impossible. So the attacker rolled forward to pick up speed.

Getting used to hit the floor was the first thing he was taught.

The teen came to a sudden stop as his feet touched the ground and he sprung upwards, momentum now turning as he twisted his torso to and hooked weapons on his soles deep into the ground ensuring that he wouldn't slip.

Knives fell to the ground as the seemingly desperate attack took a drastic turn. The yakuza's wrist snapped limp as a fist struck it from below in a vicious uppercut.

The man roared in pain as he tried to jump away, only to have his foot stomped on. Four Chelicerae digging into his skin and through bone and flesh.

The aide quickly struck forward with one of the arrows that formed his hair.

But his target was now completely recovered from the dizziness and easily moved out of the way.

The drunken Hassaikai just had been given a dose of their own Quirk-erasing drug.

Now it was just a matter of eliminating the hostiles and completing the mission.

" _Aren't you one fine little killing machine…"_

The words his godfather once spoke to him echoed back inside his head; those were words he'd never been able to forget.

No. He wasn't prey. He wasn't cattle.

Machibuse Hakuba was a predator. And it was a predator's duty to enforce the food chain.

-.

 **Six** **Years Ago, June 18th, Okinawa Prefecture, In Route Towards Iroimote Island, 0725.**

 _Kamoge's expression turned to one of mild disgust as she looked over the edge of the small boat she and her family were on._

" _Jellyfish?" Hakaku asked, not even lifting his eyes from his notes._

 _A low groan served as a "yes"._

" _I don't even know if the big ones are better or worse… on one hand I can see them; on the other I can_ see _them." Kagome responded, backing away from the creature._

" _Why is mom scared of jellyfish?" Hakuba asked, hopping down from the bench he was sitting on to see the creature. As far as he knew, his mother was the single most accomplished combatant to ever graduate from Okinawa's Military Academy, so it felt really strange seeing something like that._

" _Because one of these things got me hospitalized for six days. Their stings hurt like hell. And I had to deal with literally everyone in my year poking fun of me for months after that." Kagome sighed as she sat back down by her husband._

 _Hakuba blinked in confusion._

" _Your mother had just moved to Okinawa to attended the military academy here. Her platoon was performing drills on the beach and she got stung in the tight by a box jellyfish. I happened to be nearby collecting water samples to test for pollutes." Hakaku explained, now turning to face his wife._

" _But why people made fun of her because of that? Isn't that really bad?" Hakuba questioned further._

" _It was a very dangerous case, yes. But what people were laughing about afterwards was that I had to rush with treating her. And that meant using my Quirk to make an antidote." Hakaku explained, a tinge of cheekiness in his otherwise passive tone._

" _You don't need to tell him that part…" Kagome looked away embarrassed._

" _Affirmative; I don't need to. But, if you pardon my breach in protocol, I how often do I get the chance to poke fun at the mighty Alpha Six?" Hakaku's façade now broke in a grin._

 _That just got Hakuba even more confused._

" _I plucked the tentacle from your mother's leg, used it to get the toxins into my system and proceeded to administer the antidote there on the beach. Now keep in mind that I had no syringes with me at the time and that, differently from you, I lack specialized organs for chemical delivery." Hakaku continued the explanation._

" _To think my first words with you were "What do you mean you gonna bite my tight?"… Hell, I didn't even know your name back there… Do you have any idea how much crap I had to deal with after that?" Kagome covered her eyes with one of her hands._

 _Hakuba just stared at his parents. A blank expression on his face._

" _Affirmative. People from your platoon would give me catcalls for the following ten months until we eventually started dating." Hakaku responded the rhetorical question, causing his wife to groan in response._

 _A whistle from the boat got the family's attention. They would make land soon._

 _Kagome took a deep breath to push away the previous issue._

" _Regardless, just think of my run in with that jellyfish serves as an example for now; as in nature, out in the battlefield there are those who hunt and those who are hunted, Hakuba. The strong and smart eat the weak and dull. That day I got beaten like prey; I wasn't aware of a threat and it wouldn't have been my end if I wasn't lucky." she began speaking to her son._

" _It may sound harsh, but that's unfortunately how reality is out there. The food chain is a reality whether you like it or not, so this week you are going to stand atop of it." Kagome got to her feet._

" _Yes, Ma'am!" Hakuba responded._

" _Iroimote is a good hunting spot. Barely two-thousand people live there permanently and we are heading to the heart of the island. Dense jungle and mangrove swamps make about eighty percent of the terrain, and there are plenty of things that will give you trouble; wild boars there should weight more than you and the coconut crabs are large enough to snap your fingers clean off if you don't watch out for them. There are also plenty of habu vipers, and giant hornets have been growing in numbers over the last few years; venom might not be dangerous to you, but you can be sure that the bites and stings will still hurt a lot. The vipers in this case are the nicer ones, because hornet stings tend to get infectious more often and if you get stung by one then it is not hard to end up stung by more." Kagome gave her son the overview as she rolled open a map of the island._

" _Do you always need to go overboard with him?" Hakaku sighed._

" _I wasn't much older than him when my father dropped me into northern Hokkaido for a week. Peak winter there is much worse than peak summer here in Okinawa." Kagome responded before turning back to her son._

" _But this is why we are here. Your father and I will be camped here at the beach. And I will always be hiding nearby while you are out hunting, just in case. You have accompanied me on hunts before, but this time you will be working on your own." she continued the explanation as she pointed a few points of interest on the map._

 _The boat slowly came to a stop. Pristine wilderness stood just a few meters across the water. The boy adjusted with great care the few survival tools he had been given._

" _Fear and hesitation are unknown to a true predator, Hakuba. And I want you to leave these two here in the boat. Show the food chain that you are the top of it, and you mean to enforce it."_

" _Yes, ma'am!"_

-.

 **September 30th, Yamanashi, Minami Alps, 1039.**

It's been decades since the Witch of Okinawa had been preyed upon like this.

The Nomu rushed after Hakame, arms swinging wildly, sharp claws cleaved clear through pine trees and upturned boulders alike without a tinge of resistance.

She continued to steadily breath out her Miasma as she ran and dodged. Truly age had made her slow.

Hakame had been fending off the two monsters for just a little under three minutes. Each of Gigantomachia's strikes reshaped the mountainside and more than once he got too close to hitting her. She expected the angler Nomu to be at least this fast if it had contended with her late daughter-in-law, but the goliath was also absurdly agile for his size. Hakame had a broken arm to remind her of not misjudging the giant. Her ribs also didn't feel all that good.

With a quick jump she vaulted over a fallen tree.

Against most opponents Hakame would've used the opportunity provided by cutting line of sight to mount a counterattack, but instead she just rolled to the side as she expected her cover to be shredded and continued on the run.

Said and done.

Large chunks of the trunk were simply torn out of the way as the claws pushed through.

At least that gave Hakame a small lead so she could lose the Nomu for a second or two.

The problem now was Gigantomachia turning his head towards her. Apparently he had quite a powerful sense of hearing as well.

In an instant he was upon her, fist already cocked for a mighty punch.

No using trying to parry or block a hand almost her size. Hakame jumped forward and rolled between the giant's legs as he dented the earth once again.

More gas.

She just needed a little more time. Her plan was already in motion and soon enough the mixture would be dropping below the upper safety limit.

Gigantomachia spun hastily after her.

Hakame took the chance to grip onto his leg and use the ridiculous momentum he created to propel herself away.

Too bad that now the Nomu had eyes on her again.

It leaped in with a wide swing of its arm.

Her first instinct was to parry the attack, but that plan soon came down as the claws effortlessly bit into the ivory outer shell of her cane. And then into the hardened tungsten rod that formed the cane's core.

She dipped low, barely getting her head out of the way of the attack. It barely grazed the side of her skull and yet she could feel like the bone got chipped. A fraction of a second to late and the Nomu would've opened her head like a melon.

Yet she continued pumping out her Miasma. Any second now.

At least now she got an idea of what was happening; the low buzz that accompanied the Nomu's claws were the damn things vibrating, probably hundreds or thousands of times every second.

On the corner of her eye she managed to see Gigantomachia uprooting a tree. And then throwing the entire thing at her like a massive javelin.

She jumped to the same side to avoid being crushed, but the Nomu was quick to follow up.

Hakame needed to try something, anything. She was running out of options; her sidearm wouldn't do jack shit against these two monsters.

Another slash came her way.

This time she stepped in. Okinawan Karate was tried and true, and Hakame needed every bit of her experience right now.

She gritted her teeth as she felt two of her fingers fracturing as her punch connected with the Nomu's abdomen. She needed something hardier.

Her elbow came rising sharply from six to twelve, impacting the Nomu straight on the solar plexus. It only did as much damage to it as it did to her.

Then her footing disappeared.

Gigantomachia had slammed both fists against the forest floor, causing the area to cave into a crater as the shock shattered the earth.

Then came the burning pain.

In that split second the Nomu tore her left leg clean off, just below her knee.

Yet she didn't scream.

Hakame just pumped out more gas as she smirked.

She vanished in a blur just before the Nomu managed to bite her head off.

"YOU ARE INSANE!" Gran Torino shouted as he carried her towards safety.

"Machibuse blood runs thick… now get us out of here. Time is running out." Hakame responded with some difficulty.

She was immediately handed to a paramedic as they reached a safe spot on the road a few seconds later, where the convoy had stopped.

"Someone get in contact with the government. Tell them to warn people of this area to not use or drink ground water for a few days. I don't want people getting sick because of me. And we better make our escape while we can; I don't think that will be enough to get rid of those two." Hakame spoke, apparently more bothered about having to go on crippled permanently than about the pain of losing her leg.

"What did you just do?" Gran Torino asked, now boarding the ambulance where Hakame would be transported.

"Diborane gas. The Americans experimented using it as rocket propellant after World War II, but since combustion is not complete its use was discontinued. It also reacts violently with water in the air once the mixture hits a certain point… you can imagine that self-igniting rocket fuel is far from ideal." Hakame explained, now forcing herself to clear her lungs out of that gas.

Just as she finished speaking there was a deafening thunder coming from the forest as the trees were consumed in a burst of green and orange flames. The entire mountainside lit up on fire almost at the same time.

"I however have my own little method of sending people to space with it."

-.

 **September 30th,** **Tokyo, Shie Hassaikai Underground Network, Time Unknown.**

Brutally efficient was the only way to put it.

Sakaki Deidoro hadn't even reassumed his fighting stance when the teenager he had been told to apprehend closed in with a vicious kick to the side of his head.

The man had barely turned to see what was happening and now the drunk yakuza twitched lightly as he slid against the wall and into the floor.

Machibuse turned towards Kurono, the two enemies now back to a tense standstill.

But now things had changed completely. The very atmosphere of that diminutive storage room had grown unbearably heavy.

Kurono had seen Overhaul mauling and killing people many times. He himself had his small share of blood on his hands.

But this kid.

The look on his eyes was unnerving. It was clear aggression, barely kept in check by some subtly methodical and serene semblance.

Kurono knew little about what had happened to that kid. He was to be captured alongside his father and sold at a black-market auction as a tool for boosting drug revenue. Somehow the job was botched and that resulted in a lot of dead people. Sure that kid was traumatized by that, but this reaction wasn't that of a victim. Just what was the "Child in the Wreckage"?

"Tell me about this auction. Who was behind it? Which parties were involved?" Machibuse demanded as he stepped forward. His tone never wavering as his eyes locked onto his new target.

"…The boss never told us the details… he only ever mentioned that this auction was going to happen and prohibited anyone from the Shie Hassaikai from attending to it... We found that the ship had sunk on the news." Kurono instinctively stepped back. Why was he so afraid?

"Where is your boss? I will have a word with him." Machibuse once more demanded, steadily reducing the distance between him and the yakuza.

Kurono felt his back pressing against the cabinet propped against the wall.

He tried to look around to find a way out. There was a fierce battle raging above, but there was no way to get up without dealing with the incoming threat.

Then an idea.

"The boss is in the master bedroom of the mansion above… there is an escape ladder that goes from his room to a garage here in the underground." Kurono lied, he needed to create an opening.

Machibuse just stared at him for a moment, almost as if he tried to read the mask of the man in front of him.

Kurono slowly rose his hands in defeat.

"The door should be around fifty meters from here, around the corner of the stairs you took to get down here. There is a biometric lock on it, only the boss and Overhaul can open it normally, but you can overwrite the lock by imputing Zero-One-Eight-Six-Five-Nine-One-One-Three-Six on the digital display." he continued. The numbers were just his cellphone's shuffled up.

The boy just stared at him a little more, before taking a deep breath and turning around slowly.

He would need to carry his homeroom teacher with him.

Chronostasis' minute hand instantly shot forward.

"Wrong move." Machibuse stated flatly.

In a split second he spun onto his heel, his elbow impacting the side of the yakuza's jaw.

Kurono almost fell out cold after that one. But the quick glimpse he managed to catch of the eyes now looking at him made him wish that he had been knocked out.

Machibuse Hakuba now had completely snapped.

He followed up by striking the yakuza in the ribs with his knee, causing the man to sink into the cabinet by about half an inch.

Kurono reached out in despair for anything he could grab onto to stop the attack.

Machibuse took a quick step back before coming back in with a frontal kick that not only caused the Chelicerae on his feet to sink into the man's sternum, but also caused Kurono to be pushed further into the cabinet, completely dislodging the shelves inside.

Then he came in with a sharp right hook to the man's face, knocking off the brown mask.

Kurono tried to scream, only to find that the muscles of his core where suddenly growing rigid. Breathing was getting very hard very fast.

Another punch.

Then a third.

Quickly stepping further in, Machibuse grabbed the man by the collar of his coat and flipped him over his shoulder.

In an instant he had dropped with his knee onto the yakuza's ribs. If they weren't broke before, now they definitely were.

More punches to the head.

Kurono did his very best to try and defend himself, struggling to rise his hands and protect his face.

A swift punch to the throat caused him to gasp for air and give up.

Machibuse was unloading it all. His muscles burned up.

Then he noticed something tangled in Kurono's fingers as he continued to vent out his rage.

The assault stopped. The Chelicerae on Machibuse's palm just about to rip onto his prey's windpipe.

Kurono's right eye rolled back slowly as he asphyxiated. His left eye too swollen to do the same.

Then suddenly the force preventing him from breathing went away as Machibuse hastily gave the man the antidote for the drug he was given during the assault.

Kurono's consciousness was now quickly fading away, but at least he was alive.

With trembling hands Machibuse pried the object that caused him to come back to his senses.

His mask.

The silly drawing Momo had made for him.

Kurono likely had ripped it off once the beatdown commenced.

Hurriedly, Hakuba ran towards the other yakuza he had attacked.

The drunkard was still alive as well, the now cracked mask on his face likely had cushioned the kick just enough.

Using his last remaining strengths he unbound his teacher. Aisawa was still paralyzed, but it was better than nothing.

Hakuba gripped the mask tightly against his chest with one hand as he slumped against the wall, completely unaware of the battle that currently raged on above him.

His mind was going at a million miles per hour, but everything was blank at the same time.

Machibuse Hakuba was still in state of shock police and Suneater reached that room.

The raid was over.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: And next time we deal with the aftermath.**_

 _ **I told you guys back at the Two Heroes movie arc that grandma was stupidly broken, guess it is better to show rather than just tell.**_

 _ **Now I seriously want to take a moment to thank you guys for the sheer amount of support. The story just crossed the 500 favorites mark. Five. Hundred. Fucking. People.**_

 _ **And soon enough we will be at 600 followers.**_

 _ **This is just amazing.**_

 _ **And yes, Hakuba exists because of a jellyfish.**_


	53. Wings of a Boy that Killed Adolescence

_**I AM ALIVE! No, seriously, I am finally well enough to come back to a more or less stable living schedule. Updates will still be a little off, turns out that a lot of stuff got pilled up out here, but that's something I can deal with.**_

 _ **More good news! New art back at the old deviantart thingumabob! He has been mentioned a few times before (since the Provisional License Exam, I think), but today we finally put a face to the name.**_

-.

 **Six** **Years Ago, June 22th, Okinawa Prefecture, Iroimote Island, 0345.**

 _Hakuba's stomach grumbled lightly as he rested atop the branches of a tree, overseeing one of the shallower bodies of muddy water that dotted the mangrove._

 _His last half-decent meal had been well over sixteen hours ago. He had caught a habu viper on one of the traps he had laid the day before. His mother had taught him how to build many different kinds of traps for hunting various kinds of game, from traditional Ainu traps she had learned over many nights in Hokkaido, based entirely on readily available components such as string and sticks, to southern Asian traps made to restrain animals without injure, to modern traps used in battlefields today. Those were built to hunt another entire type of game, but the principles were just about the same._

 _His mother had also taught him how to properly prepare snakes. Hakuba never understood how his mother managed to make a meal out of pretty much anything while out in the wilderness but was still utterly uncapable of making an omelet or baking a cake in the safe and controlled environment of a kitchen. The woman was basically a living fire hazard while near the oven._

 _It was a blessing that his father had learned how to cook from a master._

 _With a sigh Hakuba took to checking on his traps once more, but expectations were low._

" _Damn crabs…" he muttered, eyes focusing on the pile of crustaceans swarming whatever poor animal he'd managed to trap._

 _Hakuba had always been a talented trapper according to his mother, always had a good sense of where to set up the bait and had a keen eye for spotting which routes prey would take. So naturally Kagome chose to train him to hunt somewhere laying traps would be most ineffective._

 _Coconut crabs possessed an incredible sense of smell and would gladly take any carrion left unattended. And they were absolutely everywhere in Iroimote._

 _And just to rub salt on the wound, they also tasted absolutely awful depending on their diet; a coconut crab that stuck to eating its coconuts wouldn't be so bad. Hakuba liked crab meat, and while not too fond of coconut, he wasn't picky. The problem was that the damn things weren't picky eaters either, meaning that cooking one was pretty much gourmet Russian roulette: either the crab would come with a hint of fruit or with a foul taste of rotten carrion it managed to scavenge._

 _Still, crabs were an option if hunger got too strong to fight._

 _He still needed to go through another fifty-four hours of hunting before it was time to return from Iroimote._

 _And a boar would easily keep him well fed for about three days. Perhaps more than that if the temperature and humidity weren't so high… it wouldn't be a bad idea to just drag the carcass back to the beach where his parents had set up camp, this way the excess meat wouldn't go to the crabs._

 _Stupid crabs, stealing from his traps._

 _Hakuba got back onto his tree. He would rest for a few hours before moving into the heart of the jungle, where the larger animals would be. The sun would wake him up, and hunting a large, mostly nocturnal, mammal in the dark would be far too risky._

 _The child would sleep just until the boars decided to do the same._

 _He closed his eyes and leaned with his left shoulder against the trunk…_

 _...and soon enough woke up once more, still grasping firmly onto his bow, both arms curled over his chest as to protect his heart._

 _Gentle rays of light and the sweet singing of a tiny bird that had just landed onto his knee woke him up. It was just a small ball of feathers tweeting happily and getting ready for a brand-new day._

 _It likely hadn't even noticed that it had landed on someone; perhaps one of the hardest parts of Hakuba's training had been learning how to sleep. By now he mostly never moved while sleeping, breathed without ever making any sound and would immediately wake up at the slightest touch, sound or sudden change in luminosity._

 _In an instant Hakuba jumped down from the tree, hands busy with plucking the feathers from his breakfast. Hunger also helped him to wake up._

 _In a matter of minutes he had already made a fire._

 _That happy little bird now roasted to a fine golden brown._

 _The smell was mouthwatering._

 _Still Hakuba hesitated. He had just killed that poor, innocent animal with his own strength. It felt much different from just picking the fruits of a well laid trap._

 _Suddenly his appetite was gone._

 _He buried the flame with some dirt, and reluctantly began placing his prey into the hole he had dug._

" _You killed it already. Don't waste it." his mother's voice came from behind the foliage as she stepped into view._

 _Hakuba froze._

 _Kagome had always been a strict teacher, but the tone of her voice carried something else entirely._

" _That bird will not come back, doesn't matter if you feel sorry for what you did. Burring it now would just be a disrespect." Kagome continued in a stern tone, now stopping just behind her son._

 _Hakuba just remained silent as he held the bird in his hands._

" _Taking a life means is not something one should think about lightly. This little bird's life is now part of yours, Hakuba… you should honor the sacrifice it had to made so that you could keep moving forward... Every kill will become a part of you in a way, and it's a burden you will carry until the end of your days. This is what it means to stand atop the food chain. But this feeling is what keeps people like you and I from just being murderers; we must learn to respect life if we intend on walking besides death." Kagome's voice now went back to a motherly tone as she tenderly ran her fingers over the dirty locks of her son's head. Deep down Kagome always knew it would come a time for her to have this talk with him, much like how her father taught her about the same values._

 _Still, she likely would never be truly ready for when Hakuba inevitably came around to ask about how taking a human life felt._

 _Worries for another day she concluded, now watching as her son took a deep breath and began eating, clumsily whipping the tears from his eyes._

 _Now Hakuba was ready to hunt for real._

 _Kagome turned around, ready to disappear into the forest once more._

 _She gave her son a last tender look._

" _It's little wings are yours to fly now, Hakuba. Wear them with pride."_

-.

 **September 30th, Tokyo, Tokyo Medical University Hospital, 1210.**

The walk back was painful.

Both Midoriya and Aisawa had no more words to say.

Sasaki Mirai, the hero Sir Nighteye, had been officially pronounced dead just a few minutes ago. Cause of death: Multiple organ failure caused by penetration-type trauma.

He passed away with a smile, despite all that.

Death clouded Midoriya's mind as the boy continued to walk, eyes downcast not focusing on anything in particular.

"Ah, just who I needed to speak to… Eraserhead, may I steal another moment of your time?" a lightly tired but still upbeat voice came just as someone turned around the corner.

Midoriya looked up, his gaze landing on a rather tall man of athletic build, early to mid-thirties Midoriya guessed. Teal blue hair and a bright pink tie that would put Ashido to shame contrasting heavily against the otherwise high-end suit he wore.

Narrow eyes, almost shut, and a disarming smile made the man very hard to read. A single scar, a thick jagged line running vertically from his jaw all the way up to his forehead that narrowly missed the man's left eye, drew Midoriya's attention. He was certain he had seen that face before.

Machibuse followed the man as if he were a zombie… Last time Midoriya saw Machibuse unresponsive like this had been after the rescue at Kamino. Machibuse hadn't spoken to anybody outside the authorities since the raid ended.

Something bad had happened.

"Tamani-dono." Aisawa gave the man undivided attention, nodding his head in respect.

"Something came up that needs Hakuba's attention." Tamani spoke in a friendly tone, casually pointing towards the boy walking behind him with his thumb.

Aisawa didn't respond yet, as Tamani apparently took an instant to eye Midoriya.

"I trust that you two will not speak of this to anyone, we are still studying how or even if we are going to disclose this to the public: Machibuse Hakame has been critically wounded in a confrontation against members of the League of Villains that took place earlier today. I will be personally escorting both her grandson and Recovery Girl to the hospital she's currently at." Tamani explained, now turning more serious.

That got both Aisawa and Midoriya to recoil slightly.

Things got even more tense as the creeping sensation of death made itself known once more that day.

"Am I getting any more details than that?" Aisawa dared, already foreseeing that the man he was dealing with would be a bit more tight-lipped.

"It wasn't entirely a detriment; I can give you that much for now. I understand that U.A. has it's own issues with the League, so rest assured that I will update you on the matter as information gets released. The Ministry owes you that much for today, Eraserhead." Tamani nodded in accordance.

"I guess I can work with that." Aisawa agreed.

"Umm, Sir…" Midoriya reluctantly rose his hand. That last exchange gave him a good clue as to whom he was talking to.

"Midoriya Izuku, I am right? I remember you from the incident at the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall; you spoke with Shigaraki Tomura… now that I think about it, your name was also on Tsurugamae's report about the Hero Killer's arrest… ok, go on. I like people with initiative." Tamani rambled for a moment as he now studied the green haired boy with more attention, tone now going back to a more friendly one. His eyes opened just a tiny bit, just enough for Midoriya to see the bright gold color of the man's irises.

"Uh, thank you, Sir… I just mean to ask if we shouldn't tell Yaoyorozu-san about this? I mean, she and Machibuse-san's grandmother are… friends? At least I think they are…" Midoriya asked, unsure about what degree of proximity his class' vice-president had with the overly aggressive woman that had been at their kitchen just yesterday.

Machibuse's expression twitched lightly at the mention of his girlfriend.

"Hmm, the matryoshka girl… hadn't considered her, really… I suppose you are right, Midoriya-kun. Hakame does hold her to a pretty high regard, and I guess I should too if she managed to crack through _that_ armor…" Tamani brought his hand to his chin as he turned his head towards Machibuse, taking a brief pause to think.

"Honestly, I've known the Witch for over a decade now. I think it's very unnecessary to assume she's not recovering, naïve even. To be fair, she is just too stubborn to die on someone else's terms… But better safe than sorry, I'd say… Very well, you have my express permission to inform Yaoyorozu Momo about the events regarding the former minister, but it's up to your judgment whether or not to do it, Midoriya-kun. Just make sure to keep it between just the two of you." Tamani shrugged lightly.

"Yes, Sir." Midoriya accepted.

"Very well, I suppose it is about time we got moving; Recovery Girl should be heading towards the helipad as we speak and she has a full schedule today. Thank you for your time, gentleman." Tamani bowed lightly and continued on his way.

Machibuse just gave a slight nod before following, almost as if he wasn't even there.

"And thank you again for you cooperation, Eraserhead! I will see that Hakuba is back at your school in a day or two!" Tamani called from the corridor, just before he and Machibuse vanished around the corner that led to the elevator.

Midoriya and Aisawa just stood there in silence for an instant.

"Sensei… that man just now, he's from the Ministry of Defense, isn't he?" Midoriya asked as his teacher began walking once more.

"He's not just from the Ministry, Midoriya. He is _the_ minister… Tamani Susumu is possibly one of the many linchpins that hold our society together from outside the spotlight that is given to heroes: Minister of Defense and head-director of Tartarus. He took over the Ministry after Machibuse Hakame stepped down during the aftermath of the Murakumo Incident; served as her right-hand man for eight years… The recommendation letter that got Machibuse into U.A. came from him at her request." Aisawa informed, now motioning for his student to follow him and get back to his room.

"He said something about you cooperating with him… Sensei, what happened to Machibuse-san? Why is he acting like this again?" Midoriya swallowed hard before asking.

Aisawa took a long breath, he couldn't just tell Midoriya about what happened back in the room where Overhaul's aide had him pinned.

"It's just as Machibuse often says… I'm afraid this is classified information now."

-.

 **September 30th, Yamanashi, Kofu, Kofu National Hospital, 1450.**

The young Machibuse and Tamani sat in silence, both watching the doors of the main operating room. They had made it to their current location just shy of an hour ago and Recovery Girl immediately joined the medical effort.

"The Witch of Okinawa", "Conquest", "The Hag"… whatever name they called her, Machibuse Hakame had entered the operating room two hours ago. Priority level one: the patient arrived with a severed right leg, a mangled right arm that very likely needed to be amputated and heavy internal bleeding, surely stemming from one or several punctured organs by three shattered ribs. Other minor injuries included two broken fingers on her left hand and a hairline fracture on her left elbow. According to the hospital staff the elder was still conscious during arrival, if only barely. She was immediately put in induced coma and a few minutes later the operation had begun.

Beyond the former minister, the hospital had also received quite a few more of the law enforcers that were part of the mission to apprehend Kurogiri; of the twenty-eight men and women that headed into the Minami Alps earlier that day, twelve had minor wounds, two were in serious condition and three were dead.

Gran Torino had made it out with just a blow to the head but was still in observation mostly due to being of old age.

Kurogiri had been successfully captured.

And Gigantomachia disappeared into the wilderness, leaving only a shattered and scorched mountainside as testimony of the battle that had taken place.

The faint sound of the minister's cellphone vibrating in his pocket broke the silence. Apparently today was the League's day: They had a hand in the raid at the Shie Hassaikai headquarters, had began moving amidst the mountains and, just after the yakuza had been arrested, Shigaraki Tomura himself attacked the convoy transporting Overhaul.

Shigaraki was growing stronger, smarter… and so did his organization. And minister Tamani was having no more of that; the League of Villains was becoming too much of a threat, and something needed to be done about it. The time to weed them out was approaching, and fast.

With a tired sigh, the minister got up and left. It was a call he needed to take… people from the police department were scheduled to make a pronouncement about the attack on the convoy in a few hours, and the higher-ups needed to know what was going to be said to the public.

Hakuba continued to stare at the door, his mind racing. He had already completely snapped earlier today, and he was still unsure of what would be the consequences for that, but now more than ever he wanted that Nomu gutted open by his feet. That thing had already crossed the lines long ago, but now…

Now Hakuba wished for it to have a strong regenerative Quirk. Killing it just once wouldn't be satisfying enough.

Time passed, the boy remained still like a sentry, eyes never veering from the door on the other side of the room.

Six hundred seconds…

Eight hundred seconds…

Fifteen hundred seconds…

"You will end up scaring the hospital staff like this." a hand landed on Hakuba's shoulder, causing him to flinch in surprise.

"I apologize, Tamani-dono." the boy responded, nodding politely.

"You know you don't need to keep up protocol with me, right? Let's be fair, you and I deal with it more than anyone else, so we should enjoy the chance." Susumu chuckled as he sat back down.

"You think the hag will make it?" Hakuba asked, now allowing himself to relax. Susumu had always been like that weird cousin that only showed up every once in a while, when work allowed him to… the kind of guy that would get along very well with Ashido, Sero, Kaminari and maybe even Present Mic.

"Your grandma is made of stronger stuff… Maybe if she hears us talking crap she will just get up to hit us." Susumu skirted around the question, now taking the time to turn his cellphone off before the thing went buzzing again. He would deal with one problem at a time.

"That sounds like the kind of shit she would do." Hakuba agreed.

"Honestly I just hope people don't give her a metal hand or something like that. She already hits plenty hard with just flesh and bone." Susumu offered, trying to get comfortable in that less than ideal cushion that covered the aluminum bench of the waiting room.

"She will shout our ears off when she wakes up, that's for sure." Hakuba pointed out, trying to humor himself a little.

The conversation died down after that.

There was a lingering tension in the air.

"What will happen to me?" Hakuba asked, eyes now focusing on the floor.

"If she doesn't make it? Hakame had that covered already, the papers are already signed and I will take over as your legal guardian in the event something happened to her before you reach the age of eighteen… Not a good talk to have now, but I imagine that you saw that coming; given that your only other living relative has cut all ties with you after what happened to your mother." Susumu responded, approaching carefully of the subject of Kagome's mother.

"Susumu-san, you know this is not what I'm referring too." Hakuba looked at the man from the corner of his eye.

"Yup. But this is not the place to talk about it; too many people coming and going. Let's get to the roof, I could use a smoke break." Susumu suggested as he got up.

"And besides, the whole guardianship situation would need to come up sooner or later. We'll be seeing each other a lot more if things don't work out behind those doors… In a way it's my fault that this happened, I was the one feeding her with intel after all." he added, now motioning for Hakuba to follow after him.

The walk up towards the roof of the building was a quiet one.

Tamani was quick to find a place for them to sit, somewhere windy so that the scent of his cigar wouldn't stick to the few white bedsheets hanging from wires.

Weather was nice at least.

Hakuba just waited for his answer.

"You smoke?" Susumu offered nonchalantly, about to reach into his breast pocket for a cigar.

"I'm a minor." Hakuba quirked an eyebrow.

"So was your grandmother when she began smoking. From what I was told, she picked up the habit at the age of twelve… and honestly I do believe that some rules are meant to be broken from time to time." Susumu shrugged, now holding out a lighter and the rolled tobacco.

"To think that a delinquent is the head of the most important prison in the country…" Hakuba rolled his eyes.

"If you only knew half of it…" Susumu nodded in agreement.

Took him a moment, but Hakuba accepted the offer. Susumu somehow always found a way to disarm his serious persona.

Hakuba took a drag of the cigar… and promptly began coughing.

"Why do you two even smoke? This thing tastes awful..." he admitted with a disgusted look on his face, now handing the lit cigar back to the man by his side.

"You get used to it… albeit nicotine wouldn't do much to you anyways, given how you can do stuff like to drinking leaded gasoline as if it were a smoothie because of your Quirk. Hell of an immune system you have there." Susumu commented.

"It's a handy power." Hakuba agreed.

"Your adolescence is going to be really boring because of it though… at least being unable to get drunk means you will never have to deal with hangovers." Susumu added, now finally taking a drag of his cigar.

"It's not like I expected to have much of an adolescence to begin with." Hakuba responded, telling those words as much to himself as he did to the man by his side.

Susumu just brushed off the comment, now taking a deep sigh.

"I really could use a day off after all this…" the man complained, his words being chased by a light puff of smoke.

Indeed it had been a long day…

Silence filled the rooftop for a long while, both just took to enjoying that peace.

"You still have to answer my question, Susumu-san…" Hakuba pushed once more.

Susumu took another long drag of smoke, his mildly tired expression giving away some concern.

"You lucked out this time. Both Hari Kurono and Sakaki Deidoro survived your little temper tantrum, if only barely. They will likely be getting lighter sentences in order to convince them to shut up about you, but I've already spoken with both Eraserhead and with the police officers who found the room you were in… gave them a believable story to tell in case the yakuza decide to start talking, something about the two being buried in rubble. The fact that Irinaka Joi was confirmed to have taken a hefty dose of Triggers makes the story more plausible: The man got more and more crazed as the high began fading and that caused him to weaken the underground network built by the Shie Hassaikai. The battle between Chisaki Kai and the heroes caused part of the network to collapse." he explained the cover-up plan.

Apparently Aisawa got dragged into the string of lies now.

"My gratitude, Susumu-san." Hakuba thanked, a massive weight coming off his shoulders.

"I had a few of my people to look into this auction you told me about. Details are scarce, and we can't even bring up the head of the Shie Hassaikai for questioning. Apparently the man has been in a coma for a few years now, and the only one who can bring him back is Chisaki himself." Susumu changed the topic for a moment.

"Overhaul is refusing to help his boss?" Hakuba asked, trying to imagine what thought process had gone through the young head's mind for him to take this decision.

"He cannot use his Quirk anymore. Chisaki had both his arms amputated earlier today while you were in the hospital. Shigaraki ambushed the convoy… Chisaki killed one of the members of the League, Hikiishi "Big Sis Magne" Kenji, during their first meeting and Shigaraki wanted to get his revenge. Apparently he also made it out with those Quirk-Erasing bullets, so you can imagine that taking the League of Villains has become the topmost priority now." Susumu explained, now making it very clear for Hakuba as to why he had been on the phone for so long today.

"They don't have much more room to escape now. Not without Kurogiri." Hakuba opted to see the cup half-full.

"The League's time is drawing to a close. Things are already moving behind the scenes." Susumu responded, sounding far more serious for a brief instant.

Hakuba got up to his feet, he had already spent too much time away from the operating room. He was about to leave when Susumu spoke once more.

"You know that there is a limit to how many times you are going to get away with crossing the line, right? If you repeat what you did today I doubt that I will be able to cover it up. There is only so much that people are willing to hide." the man warned.

"I will be on my best behavior from now on, Sir." Hakuba stiffened his back as he answered.

"I understand that this is what you trained for, and that you still have a few raw nerves out because of the Murakumo. But bear in mind that the people form the Ministry will not risk everything just to protect you… you better get the "Child in the Wreckage" under control, Hakuba. I don't want to throw you in a cell, but at some point things will just snap under the pressure you are creating." Susumu now stood up. Things were already tense enough as they were, he couldn't take risks like that.

"I would have preferred to have you still in the military working for me. You were trained to succeed your mother, but now there is no going back now. Enrolling at U.A. made you a public figure, and there is now withdrawing from the hero life with the amount of attention you got. If you step out of the line now then you will be likely on your own. There is more than enough blood in your hands already." Susumu continued, the warning now feeling like a subtle threat.

Hakuba swallowed. He knew Susumu wanted to help him, but the truth was the he still had barely any control of this darker side of his psyche. He was just a living bomb, ready to explode someday.

He needed to be a lot more careful now. He needed to find a way to finally open the door that kept the killer in his head locked, without risking losing control.

Hakuba needed to finally welcome back that part of him, but there was no way he could do it alone.

Slowly he turned back to face the man that had been his safety net up until today.

"Then I would like to ask for one last favor of the Ministry of Defense, Susumu-san."

-.

 **October 1st, U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 2035.**

Machibuse could hear his friends speaking inside as he approached the door, likely the other four that had been at the raid had returned not too long ago. Climbing the walls and entering through the balcony of his room was tempting, but he knew that if people didn't hear from him soon then they would worry.

He used the camera of his phone to check how he looked; there was no way to hide the patch bandages on his forehead, cheek and the ones wrapped around one of his knuckles. Thankfully Recovery Girl took care of the black eye and busted lip a few minutes ago, those were pretty bad and differently from the many other bruises, he couldn't just hide those away under his uniform.

With a deep breath he pushed the door open.

The first one to notice Machibuse entering the building was the small ball of white fur currently in Koda's lap. The little rabbit immediately went running away to the other end of the common area, and his owner was quick to run after it.

Machibuse just stared blankly at the scene. Little did the rabbit know that the predator he was always scared of had done more than his fair share of hunting for a while.

People almost instantly were swarming closer.

Machibuse nonchalantly stepped back outside and closed the door once more before they managed to reach him.

" _Through the balcony it is…"_ he cringed.

Too late, his classmates were quick to open the doors before he managed to sneak away. Iida, Ashido, Jiro, Kaminari, Sero and Ojiro were all coming through. Shoji was the last one to come, now standing by the entrance.

"Please avoid cornering me like that; I cannot help but get uncomfortable. A lot happened since I last saw most of you, yes, but all we can do now is move forward. These bandages have nothing to do with the raid; I just happened to up my training regimen. Affirmative, I resumed training immediately after being discharged from the hospital… and affirmative, Kaminari-san, I agree that we could order food today, anything is fine. I will admit that I could use the rest tonight." Machibuse went over the obvious questions that would surely come.

His friends just stared at him.

Kaminari opened his mouth to speak, but he couldn't come up with the words.

"Any more questions?" Machibuse quirked an eyebrow.

"Why are you like this?" Shoji asked back tiredly.

"Because of behavior protocol. That and my general reservations about public interactions." Machibuse responded the rhetorical question with his usual unexpressive tone.

"Yeah, he is back alright." Jiro shrugged, now turning around and making her way back in.

One by one people followed suit, Machibuse now slinging his back over his shoulder. The strap had been gripping just against his rather sore shoulder.

Finally back at the dorms for good, Machibuse was quick to notice Midoriya coming back to the main hall… He didn't come alone.

Momo and he were speaking, about something serious if their expressions gave anything away.

"Welcome back…" she offered, trying to keep her concern hidden away.

Hakuba just motioned for her to come closer, inviting his girlfriend to a hug with his free hand.

He gritted his teeth slightly as Momo embraced him, he really needed her right now, but she had rested her head just on top of his shoulder.

Momo definitely noticed that.

And both of them most definitely noticed Ashido snapping a picture of that moment.

The pink-skinned girl just giggled and made her escape, saying something about how that one would be important at a later date.

"Sometimes I think Ashido-san benefits more from our relationship than either of us." Hakuba admitted with a small sigh as he let go of his girlfriend.

"There is no harm to it… We both knew from the beginning that she would be happy with this." Momo offered with a small smile.

For a brief moment there was silence amongst the three.

"I assume you informed her about what happened to the hag, Midoriya-san." Machibuse spoke once he assured that no one would listen this conversation.

"Yeah… how is she, Machibuse-san?" Midoriya responded, clear doubts in his mind.

"Machibuse Hakame is currently in a coma; it's unknown when or even if she will wake up. Beyond that, she has suffered permanent injures, losing both an arm and a leg… her situation is far from good, be at least it is stable. She will be transferred to a hospital here in Tokyo, where people from the Ministry can monitor her condition for the time being, but there are plans to reallocate her back to her house in Naha at a later date." Machibuse informed, his tone never diverging from the usual protocol speech, but it was easy to tell he was tense.

Both Midoriya and Yaoyorozu were visibly shocked.

"I apologize for my behavior at the hospital, Midoriya-san. The last two days have been… harsh. I was hardly acting on a clear mind back then." Machibuse bowed lightly towards Midoriya, who was quick to rise his hands frantically as to tell that this was unnecessary.

"Hakuba, can we?" Yaoyorozu called him, picking up his free hand on one of hers.

Her fingers brushed onto the bandages, but that didn't seem to hurt much.

Machibuse just nodded, and both excused themselves.

The elevator ride to the fifth floor of the dorms was a quiet one, and soon they had arrived at Hakuba's room.

"I suppose I missed this place." he sighed, setting his bag down.

Hakuba turned around to meet his girlfriend.

Soon her hands were busy with unbuttoning his uniform. But her expression gave it away that this wasn't going to be fun.

Momo was dead serious.

"Momo…" Hakuba spoke.

"You know that I hate when you hide things from me." Momo responded bluntly.

"I apologize, it wasn't my intention. I have already spoken with Recovery Girl; these will be properly dealt with tomorrow morning." Hakuba looked away. The wounds from earlier today still fresh; he was bruised all over, with a few shallow cuts sprinkled here and there.

"Midoriya-san said that you were acting like… _that_ again while you were at the hospital. Since you returned from this raid you two took part in. He said that you weren't wounded back there. And that you only met with people from the Ministry of Defense about two hours after the raid was over. You are not like this because of your grandmother… at least not only because of her." Momo explained, now gently guiding her boyfriend towards the couch that occupied a good portion of his room.

"Do you have be this smart all the time?" Hakuba complained as he sat down, mild discomfort coming to his expression as his wounds made themselves present.

"What happened?" Momo finally asked, sounding more concerned than angry now.

"You are not going to like this." Hakuba warned.

"Does it matter? I'm your girlfriend. Dealing with your messes is part of the job." Momo joked, now carefully sitting on his lap, her legs dangling to the side.

"I'm not going to leave you alone again. I promised you that." she added, pulling Hakuba closer to her bosom.

"Sorry… I suppose that I'm still not used to having someone I can speak to." Hakuba took a deep breath as she ran her fingers on his hair.

He wrapped his arm tightly around her torso.

"The Shie Hassaikai, they knew about the Murakumo… not about what happened that night, but why it happened. And when I got cornered yesterday, one of their members began touting about it. And I snapped. Almost killed two people, and it was just because of luck that I didn't." Hakuba explained, still not brave enough to face Momo as he told her what happened.

True to her word, Momo didn't pushed him away. Instead she only held him tighter.

"Okay, I'm not liking this." she took a deep breath.

"There is more to it still… It seems that now I have pissed some people back at the Ministry. They are not going to cover up my mistakes if there is a next time." Hakuba continued.

"And how do you plan on not losing yourself again? It's not like you can control it... and you still haven't answered me about these wounds." Momo asked again.

"These wounds came to be because I have been working on pulling myself together since yesterday after I returned to Tokyo." Hakuba finally answered.

He now turned slightly, his eyes focusing on something on his shelf.

"There are a few things a killer can only learn from another…"

-.

 **October 2nd, Maximum Security Prison For Villain Criminals – Tartarus, Courtyard, 1930.**

Eight guards had their weapons at ready, just one order away from firing down into the secluded courtyard sporadically used by well-behaved A-Rank villains.

It was the first time in years that a S-Rank had been allowed to exercise like this.

Akaguro Chizome rolled his shoulders; imprisonment had surely dulled his reflexes.

"Director, Sir… do you really think this is appropriate?" one of the guards asked.

Machibuse Hakuba slowly got back up to his feet and whipped the spit out of his chin. This had been his reality for the last two days; he needed to gain control. And he needed to do it quickly.

"Akaguro likes him, so I'm not all that worried. And besides, Hakuba really needs someone to beat some sense into him." Tamani responded, now leaning against the railing as he continued to watch that rather… intense sparing match.

"This kid is even younger than mine. It's hard to believe he has been putting up with this much punishment…" the guard admitted with some discomfort as he watched how the Hero Killer continued his assault.

"Well, you better keep watching then, Shishikura-san… for better or for worse this is going to be part of our routine until the end of the month." the Minister suggested as he continued to study the rather one-sided battle that was taking place behind the bulletproof glass.

He flinched slightly as Stain landed a vicious right rook, sending the hero-in-training down once more.

With a deep sigh Tamani turned away from the fight.

"Let's just hope that we are not seeing Hakuba in here again once November comes."

…

..

.

 _ **AN: So, now you can stop asking why Hakuba has such an easy time getting in and out of Tartarus.**_

 _ **And yeah, the hag is not well. Rest assured that we will be seeing her again soon somehow.**_


	54. Fight-or-flight

_**And I'm finally back! You guys have no idea how much shit pilled up because I got sick… The later half of this chapter will be going over one of the light novels. I tend to exclude them from this story because very few people get around to reading those, but this one is just too good to pass up. If you haven't read the light novels and want to give it a try, this chapter here will be going over VOL 3, chapter 4.**_

-.

 **October 4th, Maximum Security Prison For Villain Criminals – Tartarus, Courtyard, 2005.**

Hakuba dashed forward, bare feet and Chelicerae pushing against the fresh grass without a sound. He couldn't afford to stop despite the heavy air circling around him since Sir Nighteye's funeral earlier that day.

Chizome intercepted with a sharp mid kick, forcing the teen to halt and parry. In an instant the villain stepped in with a quick jab.

Hakuba barely had the time to get his head out of the way, the fist scraping against his cheek. With a quick adjustment he reached up and tried to grab onto his opponents forearm. The same trick from Hosu.

Chizome quickly pulled back, now grabbing the teen by the back of the head and face first into his knee. He followed by seizing the dazed Hakuba by the collar of his shirt and flipping him over into the dirt below.

"You don't have time to laying there, kid. On your feet and get serious already." Chizome ordered, now turning back and walking a few paces away.

Hakuba stumbled back to his feet, his head still throbbing from the blow as he snapped his broken nose back into place. He would be visiting Recovery Girl again, apparently.

One deep breath.

One payload delivered to the back of his own neck. He had no time to waste with recovering.

No more pain. No more dizziness.

No more holding back.

No rest for the wicked.

Hakuba was back at the Murakumo again. Back at the Sports Festival Stadium. Back at the burning forest of the summer camp. Back at the underground network of tunnels used by the Shie Hassaikai. This was why he was there in the courtyard of the country's most infamous prison facing a villain that would shape a generation: he was there to gain control. Hakuba knew he was deeply broken up in the head. He had been to his fair share of doctors after what happened at the Murakumo, psychologists and psychiatrists within the military who worked with people suffering from post-stress traumatic disorder. His diagnostic was pretty much uncontested.

But it was just as Kamihara had told him. He was broken, yes, but that didn't mean he was lost. Kintsugi philosophy sounded cheesy sometimes, but it resonated well with the teen… he couldn't hide the cracks any longer or pretend that they weren't there, but he could still try to make those cracks part of him and let the cracks tell a story.

Days ago he had asked Tamani for permission to train with the Hero Killer; Hakuba's best shot at mending the split in his persona was to allow for the "Child in the Wreckage" to come out, this way Hakuba could learn how to reel the thing back inside the room it had carved inside his mind.

Tamani's first reaction to that request had been blunt. Bluntly stupid as the minister just asked a simple "The fuck?" while almost bitting his cigar, but the more he thought about the better the idea seemed to be. It still wasn't a good idea by any means; it still required him to haul a minor in and out of a maximum security prison and drop said minor in a ring with a serial killer… but if Hakuba was to try and allow himself to let go than he would need an opponent capable of pushing him over the edge and a location both secluded and secure. It was a reckless idea, stupid even, but it was better than just trying to escape an inevitable scenario. If that was the alternative to just hoping that Hakuba wouldn't be put in a situation like the one caused by Chronostasis again, then Tamani would be willing to shoulder the risk.

And that risk was Hakuba's life now.

He had been given around a month of access to Tartarus, for up to a maximum of ninety minutes every day. It was the fifth day now, and he had yet to survive past the one-hour mark.

Hakuba knew Chizome would be a brutal foe, and the convict had proven to be more than eager to test his young follower, especially now that he would be allowed to enjoy some degree of freedom.

The Hero Killer blitzed forward and attacked with a deceptively fast haymaker.

The teen stepped in, weaving underneath the blow as he countered with a rising palm strike, Chelicerae ready to kill.

Chizome dodged, a mad grin on his face as he watched the sudden improvement. He knew since Hosu that Hakuba had _it_ inside of him. That the boy had the instinct of a true assassin, that he had the will of a true predator. And this boy was before him, seeking a way to turn this force into something that would change society. This was who Shigaraki Tomura wanted to have as part of his League, and Stain now had the chance to finally steer that boy clear from the path he himself had chosen.

Their first two days training together were mostly testing waters, but yesterday Chizome had decided to kick the door and see the monster for himself. Now he needed to force Hakuba out again, because he knew that if Hakuba learned how to properly use this power then he would be well off towards the path of a true hero.

The exchange continued, punches and kicks flowed from both fighters.

Chizome jumped to avoid a sudden sweep, coming down with a heavy kick.

Hakuba rolled to the side, shoulders quickly shifting so he could spring back to his feet.

He was met by a fist speeding towards his face as he came up and cartwheeled immediately.

Stopped.

Chizome had grasped his ankle. And had him pinned to the floor in a split second after that.

Another round.

"I will break your leg next time... Serious. Now." Chizome demanded. He could still sense some restraint from his opponent, the drive to win of someone willing to get stabbed to defeat an opponent still not quite there. So he would push it more.

Hakuba didn't respond.

Rather, he just charged forward.

Chizome gritted his teeth. Hakuba finally had the same eyes from Hosu… and the boy surely was much faster now than he was six months ago. U.A. and Edgeshot had done a terrific job.

One foot firmly planted into the dirt, hips and torso twisting clockwise as the back leg came in with cutting speed, forcing Chizome to duck beneath the kick.

The convict swept with his leg, only to whiff as Hakuba kept his momentum going with a short hop.

Hakuba came down with another kick, his heel posed to strike his opponent right in the top of the skull, and with enough force to maybe crack it.

Chizome shot up to his feet, arms crossed over his head as to catch the blow.

Impact.

And it was… light?

Hakuba forced all his weight backwards, using the block as footing for a quick somersault to kick Chizome in the chin with his free leg, the Chelicerae springing from his sole grazing the man's skin as he dodged. Both his palms touched the grass, the hooks on his palms embedding themselves firmly immediately and acting as anchors caused him to land in a low crouch, poised to pounce forward and maintain his offense.

Another rush.

Then his vision became a mess of earth and foliage. The Hero Killer had picked up a handful of soil during his previous sweep and now had used it to blind Hakuba.

"You… ahh… either think too much, or don't think at all." Chizome stated, now using the opening to slam Hakuba in the chest with a frontal kick that knocked the teen to the ground and the air out of his lungs.

Hakuba was almost immediately back onto his feet, trying to reach for his face and failing miserably as a punch crashed into his gut.

"Focus." Chizome instructed as he chained a string of punches together. The Hakuba he had been fighting up to this point wouldn't have ever been so sloppy as to fall to for something basic like dirt in the eyes.

Chizome calmly jumped back as Hakuba tried to counter with a palm strike towards the direction of where he believed his attacker to be.

He closed the distance once more, another haymaker to Hakuba's stomach just as the blinded teen tried to reach for his eyes once more.

"You won't get nowhere with this… with the way you are right now, kid, you have no chance of ever coming back from any losing situation…" Chizome warned, unaware of the fact that Edgeshot had given Hakuba the same speech about how fighting that way would only get someone so far.

Then he promptly resumed the beatdown.

Hakuba instinctively jumped back after the first hit. His mind was racing from a way out, everything was a blur and he needed to escape. He couldn't win. He couldn't think clearly. His heart wouldn't calm down.

He took a deep breath. He needed to.

The mental image of the courtyard was still in his mind, he could try to escape through the door.

Another blow sent him down onto the dirt.

He inhaled the fresh scent of the grass and pushed himself to his feet with haste.

Then came the scent of blood, he knew that scent very well.

It got stronger.

It was the scent of his own blood.

Why?

His nose wasn't bleeding anymore. It had gushed out a fair amount of red earlier, but by now it had already stopped.

Suddenly the scent got a lot more powerful, and by instinct Hakuba moved away from it.

A light current of air caressed his face, almost as if something had missed him by an inch.

Hakuba stopped.

The fight came to a standstill.

Chizome just stared at the boy for an instant as he circled slowly, he was certain that he had made no sound that would alert Hakuba of the attempt he had made to knee him in the face again… but the boy just pulled away as if he knew what was coming.

Hakuba sniffed the air and turned towards his opponent, he had a look of confusion on his face. His eyes were still closed and caked with dirt, but he somehow honed into the bloodstain on Chizome's knee.

Chizome was the one stopping now, first turning his attention towards his knee and then again towards the boy who just happened to sniff the air again, confirming his theory.

The Hero Killer smilled.

-.

 **October 5th** **,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 1510.**

It was a short walk from the parking lot to the dorms. Small talk on the way was enjoyable and was apparently going somewhere.

"And here we are." Midnight announced proudly as she laid eyes onto one of the buildings where U.A. housed it's students.

"Huh… these are much bigger in person." Tamani admitted, now taking one last drag of smoke before putting out the ember of his cigar by pressing it against the sole of his shoe. He gave the rollup a last look before deciding to discard it at a nearby bin, the amount of tobacco left wasn't worth the hassle of clipping and wrapping for later use.

Midnight knocked on the door as the minister approached.

Kaminari was the one to open, Mineta curiously peeking from behind him.

"Oh! Midnight-sensei!" Kaminari welcomed the teacher with enthusiasm.

"Hey there boys, would you mind calling Machibuse for me? This fine gentleman over here needs to have a word with him." Midnight greeted with a smile, now gesturing towards Tamani.

"Huh… suppose I could get used to being referred to as a fine gentleman for a change." the minister chuckled.

"Tamani Susumu, I am an old friend of Hakuba's." he added with a short nod.

"That madman got himself into trouble again?" Mineta quirked an eyebrow as he studied the man who towered over him by around three feet.

"Not this time, although I may end up dragging him into some today." Tamani admitted, now stepping inside the building as Kaminari held the door open and invited both guests into Class 1-A's living area, where around two thirds of the class was present.

"Ta-Tamani-dono!?" Midoriya, who was on his way towards the courtyard alongside Iida, stuttered as laid eyes upon the man, causing a few people to now turn and see who their guest was.

Just hearing the name caused the two more politically inclined students in the room to stand up in attention.

"It is an honor having the minister of defense as a guest!" both Iida and Yaoyorozu spoke almost in unison and bowed in respect, causing the remainder of the class to hastily do the same.

Mineta fumbled the hardest as he was quite literally just trash talking with the man seconds ago.

"Yo." Tamani greeted back nonchalantly.

An awkward silence followed that.

"I see that you are already acquainted with Midoriya." Midnight observed, clear amusement in her face as she watched her precious students completely at a loss.

"We bumped into each other a few days ago at the hospital when I went to fetch Hakuba there..." Tamani responded, now taking a second to see who was in the living room. He had taken his time to learn who were Hakuba's classmates and apparently the only ones missing were Bakugo Katsuki, Todoroki Shouto, Uraraka Ochaco, Asui Tsuyu, Tokoyami Fumikage and…

"I know he isn't the most social guy around, but I assume Hakuba is not just locked away inside his room. Eraserhead is also missing, it seems." the minister added curiously, noticing the absence of just the two he needed to speak to.

"Ah… Machibuse-san is having a few extra classes with Aisawa-sensei to make up for the ones he missed during his internship, Sir." Midoriya explained, mildly embarrassed about having to give an excuse to a government official.

"Yeah… Midoriya and I happened to be released early because we were not interning on the day of that lecture... Sir." Kirishima added, still trying to piece together how a guy this important was so casual.

"I guess that makes sense…" Tamani nodded.

"Give me a moment, I will see if I can do something about it." Midnight interjected, now making her way towards the telephone hanging from the kitchen wall.

"No no no! I was the one that decided to show up at the last minute after all, I don't want to be a hassle." Tamani stopped her, rising both hands sheepishly.

"You sure? The lecture may not be over for a while." Midnight insisted.

"I'm now counting on that, actually… Gives me an excuse to just kick it back for a moment, I've been working non-stop today and could use a break right about now." the minister gave an awkward laugh.

"Well then, I will call once everyone is ready to start the meeting. 1-A, make sure our guest feels at home while I take care of a few errands." Midnight accepted, now turning towards the students with both hands on her hips.

"Uh, wait…" Tamani muttered, but was vastly drowned by the loud mix of "Right!"s and "Yes, ma'am!"s and other various responses.

With a confident smile, Midnight turned and left.

"Aaand there it is… shut down again." Tamani sighed heavily as the door closed.

"Something troubling you, Sir?" Iida immediately asked, the well being of his guest was top priority.

"Just my luck with women, thank you for your concerns. Conversation was kinda getting somewhere on the way here." the minister admitted.

The students just stared at him in silence.

"What? The fly-sized airport runway running up the side of my face doesn't help me much when it comes down to getting a date. That... and the fact that I receive death threats on a weekly basis. Those don't do me any favors either." Tamani stared back at the group.

"And you had your eyes on Midnight… I see you're a man of culture as well." Mineta closed his eyes and gave a nod of appreciation. He suddenly liked this Tamani guy a whole lot more.

"I've been trying my luck with pro-heroines lately, turns out that civilians get creeped out by the fact I deal with villains like the Hero Killer and All For One on a daily basis… I mean, I'm thirty-four already, I'm running out of time to find someone." Tamani explained himself with a groan.

"He sounds like Pixie-Bob…" Jiro commented, still mildly stunned about what was happening. Wasn't there anyone normal in the Captains's background?

Ashido and Hagakure were quick to turn towards each other after hearing that.

"He sounds like Pixie-Bob!" Hagakure repeated with much enthusiasm, her invisible eyes likely wide open.

"Oh my god! Who here has the Pussycats' number!?" Ashido almost jumped after the nearest cellphone in sight.

"This is a highly inappropriate thing to suggest to a government official here on official business!" Iida interjected, the stiff movements causing Tamani to raise an eyebrow.

"Come on, Iida!" Ashido protested.

"Yeah! I'll not stand by this injustice! And you shouldn't either, guys should help each other out in times like this!" Mineta also stepped forth to the sacred duty of being a wingman.

"It's not every day we see those two working together…" Shoji observed.

Iida froze for a brief instant, still clearly in denial about the whole ordeal. He had monumental expectations for a man as respected as the minister standing just a few steps behind him.

"Iida-kun is surely taking this very seriously, isn't he?" Tamani whispered, leaning a little closer to Kaminari.

"That's kinda how he is… Sir." Kaminari whispered back, considerably less nervous about the guest now.

They both watched for a moment as now Hagakure joined the effort.

"About Pixie-Bob… I've never got to see her in person, so I could use your opinion on the matter, Kaminari-kun." the minister inquired, his interest had been stoked now.

Kaminari just gave the man a solid thumbs up and a quick nod with the head.

Tamani then turned towards the commotion and stepped forward.

"Iida-kun. Please consider the implications of what your friends are proposing… and how it can have a positive effect on the morale and stability of the head of your country's Ministry of Defense. Your decision can be of great impact in protecting the good people of Japan." he called in a more professional tone, now placing a hand on Iida's shoulder as he made a small pause in his speech to try coming up with something.

The class president stopped for an instant, thousands of possibilities now rushing through his mind.

He snapped back towards the three who had been arguing with him, pure determination in his eyes.

"I apologize! My judgment was far too limited! You three were right!" Iida's stance on the matter did a complete one-eighty.

"You can think of it as an official request from me. A… special mission, priority one." Tamani offered, surprised about how well that had worked.

"Absolutely, Sir! Let us for make haste! I am sure that the teachers have a reliable way of contacting the Pussycats!" Iida straightened his back in attention before urging the trio to follow him.

In a moment the four were rushing outside, leaving behind a silent crowd.

"I guess you were expecting me to be like Hakuba's grandmother more than anything." Tamani gave a light chuckle.

"Honestly I'm kinda glad you aren't… she scares the hell outta me…" Kaminrai admitted.

"Can't say I am not surprised… Regardless, Tamani-dono, would you like some tea while you wait?" Yaoyorozu approached the man with a smile, it was good to see that her boyfriend had someone this relaxed around for a change.

"Oh, you are the matryoshka girl! Glad to finally meet you, Yaoyorozu-san. I've been meaning to apologize for all the headache Hakuba gives you… can't say his grandmother and I haven't been responsible for a more than a few of his issues, and I doubt that Hakame would risk losing face like this." Tamani turned towards the girl before bowing lightly.

"P-please, Sir! There is no need for you to apologize!" Yaoyorozu stammered.

"Of course there is. Hakuba has been dealt a pretty bad hand, but U.A. has made a good impact on him… everyone here has my thanks, but you do deserve them more than anyone. You even got the hag to lighten up a little bit, I know because I have seen the matryoshka on her desk at the Military Academy back in Naha." Tamani responded, sounding a bit more serious for a moment.

Yaorozoru could only bow, somewhat as an excuse to hide her blushing face.

"By the way, I've been running on cigars and a bagel since 8 AM, so having some tea sounds quite appealing indeed." the minister added with a sheepishly laugh.

"Well, let us go to the kitchen then!" Yaoyorozu clapped her hands in excitement, that bubbly side of hers now agitated as she guided her esteemed guest further into the building.

"I'm not sure it goes well with tea, but we have some pizza left from yesterday in the fridge. If you want some I can get right on heating it up." Sero came up with an offer of his own, albeit it was a much less elegant one.

"I might just take you up on that, then. Just microwave a slice or two for me and I can get to it while tea is being made." Tamani nodded in acceptance, the conversation now moving towards the kitchen alongside the guest.

A little under thirty minutes passed, the four in charge of the Pixie-Bob mission had already returned bearing good news and Ashido had taken upon herself the task of get things moving on that front. A few of the students went back to what they were doing prior to the arrival of the minister, but some remained around the kitchen to chit-chat, namely Ashido, Iida, Hagakure Kaminari, Kirishima, Midoriya, Mineta and Yaoyorozu. It was during that conversation that the students of Class 1-A learned a few things about the man: He actually hailed from Kagoshima rather than from Okinawa, stating that the Satsuma dialect showed up more when he was under the influence; that the guy who taught Machibuse how to fool lie detectors was actually Tamani himself, much to Mineta's interest. That also meant that Tamani had joined the covert ops around the age of fourteen, something he explained as being more of a coincidence than actual interest at first because he helped police to arrest a small-time drug dealer inside his school; and that he adopted this goofy, laid-back persona in his early years working under the former minister just to annoy her, but after over a decade doing it, he actually ended up like this for good… it was his own "protocol" now.

"Still, Tamani-dono, pardon if you have already answered this while we were out, but I can't help but wonder why you came here in person." Iida questioned.

"Huh… actually we didn't ask about that." Kirishima quirked an eyebrow.

"I mean, by now we are already used to that "classified information" stuff, so I personally don't bother anymore." Kaminari shrugged.

"There isn't much secret to it, really, the reason should be on the news in a few minutes." Tamani informed, taking a moment to check for the time on his phone.

"What do you mean, Sir?" Midoriya sounded confused.

"If my people are doing their jobs right, then the information should be getting to the media as we speak; we have Kurogiri from the League of Villains under arrest. He has been captured a few days ago during an operation in Yamanachi and is currently imprisoned back at my home turf in Tartarus. We decided to hold onto the information for a few days to see if we could lure out a few more of their members, but not a single fish came for our bait." Tamani explained, sounding mildly disappointed that the later part of the plan hadn't worked.

"The mist gate guy!?" Hagakure almost jumped out of her seat.

"This is awesome! Now they can't escape anymore!" Kirishima followed suit alongside the remainder of the group.

With the exception of Midoriya and Yaoyorozu, who just looked at one another with mild concern. They knew that the operation in question ended up costing way more than intended.

"The guy is a tough nut to crack; I'll give him that. But we are getting through him eventually… until then we are going to continue to pressure the League. The reason as to why I came here in person is because I promised to give U.A. some more information. You guys and the League have some bad blood between you, so it's only fair that intel gets here first." the minister concluded.

"Aren't you worried that they will try to break him free? I mean… Tartarus is kinda becoming a target for them…" Mineta worried.

"Well, keeping the prisoners inside is why I get paid, so instead of worrying I take precautions." Tamani gave a short laugh.

This caused the students to stare at him confusedly for a moment.

"I talking about the defense systems and the security protocols… not really feeling like trying my luck with a guy that can turn me into dust with a high-five. My Quirk is more suited for pulling pranks on people than it is for combat." Tamani shrugged before reaching over to pour himself another cup of tea.

"Now you've done it…" Ashido sighed as she continued to type something on her cellphone.

"Huh?" the minister cocked his head to the side.

"Tamani-dono! What is your Quirk!?" Midoriya suddenly popped besides the man with his notepad and a pen in hand, the ever-burning desire to learn more about the subject now flaring up and causing the minister to splash a little bit of tea on the counter.

"Now that's a way to get the old heart pumping a little faster…" Tamani coughed in surprise, now carefully lowering the teapot down.

"It's fine! It's fine! I didn't get any tea on my clothes…" he could only laugh as he watched Midoriya apologizing profusely and the others panicking.

There was a brief moment of silence as things calmed down again.

"My Quirk is called Lag." Tamani spoke, now returning to the topic.

"Like in a video game?" Kaminari asked confusedly.

"Pretty much… it makes so that I can cause people to stop seeing my real position for a few seconds at a time. Think of it as a very, very dulled down version of Hagakure-san's Invisibility." Tamani explained as he nodded towards the invisible student.

"Me?" Hagakure retorted, the way her sleeves moved giving the impression that she was pointing at herself.

"Huh… I suppose it is easier to show rather than tell." Tamani though out loudly as he got up from his chair and placed the teacup down.

"Watch closely." he suggested.

The students were watching with their eyes peeled… as the minister of defense just stood there completely still.

Then he suddenly appeared right behind Midoriya, both hands landing on the boy's shoulders. This caused all of them to jump, and both Midoriya and Mineta to eek out mild cry, voices cracking from the surprise.

"As I said, it's pretty good for pranking people… we're even now, Midoriya-kun." Tamani laughed as he walked back towards the table to finish his tea.

The students took a moment to recompose themselves.

"What just happened?" Kirishima was the first one to ask, still very confuse.

"You were experiencing some latency. My Lag makes it so that people standing close to me when I activate my Quirk have their perception of me frozen. This is why you all saw "me" standing completely still." Tamani explained.

"And while your Quirk is active we can't actually see the real you, is this right?" Yaoyorozu theorized, bringing a hand to her chin.

"It just looked like a teleport, you just walked around us instead." Midoriya concluded as he lifted the pen from his paper.

"Leave it to U.A. to have sharp students." Tamani nodded.

"I wouldn't consider your Quirk to be weak in combat, Sir. It does create a lot of openings in the opponent's defenses." Iida pointed out, going over the process in his head.

"Sure it does, but there quite a few restrictions to how my Quirk behaves, and it makes the entire thing very impractical. First of all is range: I can only affect people close to me, and the radius isn't all that much… two to three meters maybe, and the effect ends immediately if I move outside this range while invisible. Second is targeting: I can't choose not to lag somebody inside the area of effect, so it's pretty useless if I'm acting as part of a group. I got this scar because I lagged a friendly without realizing and ended up getting a grenade lobbed in my direction. Shrapnel hurts like hell, I'll tell you that… Third is cooldown: The longer I keep my Quirk active, the longer I have to wait before using it again. Fourth is time: There is a maximum amount of time I can keep my Lag active, and this timer goes down faster if I'm lagging multiple people. And finally is force: I can't do anything that requires more than a certain threshold of force to move, so my Lag immediately ends if I need to interact with anything that isn't very small and light." Tamani explained the nuances of his Quirk to the students.

"So this is why you got up before using it… you couldn't push the chair and be invisible at the same time." Midoriya began scribing again.

"At least you can keep your clothes on…" Hagakure sighed in defeat.

"I had to try and train up to where I'm now… pretty much had to be in my underwear to use my Quirk when I first developed it, and you can bet my neighbors saw me streaking in the front yard more than a few times when I was a toddler." Tamani gave an awkward smile.

"You are forgetting to tell them that you trained it just enough to be able to carry a 9mm pistol while invisible, Sir." a voice came from the hallway.

"Well, it's not like the little pea shooter makes much of a difference… if the bad guys are in range of my Quirk then they are well past the range of a firearm, so I'm screwed either way." Tamani shrugged as he turned towards the newcomers.

"I apologize for the wait, Sir." Machibuse bowed as he approached. Aisawa and the other three students who were out in internships had arrived also.

"Tamani-dono, everyone is already heading towards the Principal's office, would you mind accompanying me?" the teacher requested, prompting the guest to quickly finish his cup of tea.

"Very well then… it's been a pleasure everyone, but my break seems to be over. Hakuba, don't go wandering around too much, shouldn't be that long of a meeting." Tamani excused himself with a short bow.

"It has been an honor, Sir!" half the students responded in unison as the others began with a more informal goodbye, just to quickly follow suit as they remembered that, despite everything, their guest was still someone absurdly important.

"And Ashido-san! I'll be waiting on your updates!" he added just as he turned to leave.

"Yessir!" Ashido responded with a perfect military salute. She had been chatting with Pixie-Bob for a few minutes now and was just waiting for the heroine to end her patrol so the two of them could have some good girl talk.

Machibuse could only stare confusedly at the scene.

"Do I even want to know what you were discussing with him?"

-.

 **October 5th** **,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 1650.**

Darkness filled almost the entire area. The scent of burning wax from the ritual candle resting by the floor masked something else, it's flickering orange light weary amidst the dark purple sparks that came from obscure artifacts scattered around the place. Mysterious shapes hanged from the walls… pale skulls of both animal and men, black robes, summoning circles…

And Machibuse still had no clue as to why exactly he was sitting in the floor of Tokoyami's room.

"… At last, the boy begins to fear for his life. But it's impossible to turn back now. With trembling feet, he takes step after step in the pitch-black tunnel… now he's reached the center. A slight, warm breeze tickles the boy's hair. But how strange! There should be no wind from that direction…" Sero told in a foreboding tone.

Ah yes, somehow Machibuse got dragged into this campfire horror story thing his friends had set up.

" _Mandarin and coriander…"_ he guessed, sniffing the air lightly. For some reason they were using a scented candle for this whole ordeal. Was it the only candle they could find in such little time? Where did they even got that for the setup? Was it Sero's? He had a liking for citric stuff, and it would fit the style of his room.

"W… Why is that?" Kaminari swallowed hard.

"… Because that end of the tunnel had been closed off the year before, by a landslide. There should be no airflow…" Sero answered, now leaning closer to the candle, so that it would make the shadow cast over his face all the more prominent.

Ashido shifted nervously.

Machibuse just remained still, it was a pretty interesting tale actually.

"The boy stops in his tracks. Something cold and wet drips down onto him. Drip… drip… with no sign of stopping. He fumbles for his flashlight, which he'd turned off earlier to conserve the remaining power. And above him…" Sero continued, the vast majority of group getting more and more terrified. He had knack for this kind of storytelling, apparently.

"… is a mangled, bloodied corpse!" he concluded; eyes wide open as he leaned even closer.

A shriek came from the opposite side of the circle as Mineta clung for dear life onto Shoji's arm.

"Shh!" Ashido hushed him.

"You are ruining the atmosphere, Mineta-chan." Asui added.

"How, aren't you scared? You guys are girls, after all!" Mineta protested, still firmly holding onto the large arm by his side.

"And you plan on acting manly while screaming like a girl and tugging on people?" Sero snickered.

"It's your fault! You and your creepy ass stories! I don't even know why I joined you guys in the first place…" Mineta whined, now finally letting go of Shoji.

"So you would have an excuse to jump right into our personal space." Asui stated plainly, motioning towards herself and Ashido.

"With that madman right here? Yeah, sure… first you get that busty girl from the Support Department to ward off half the bath area, now it's basically as if you were threatening me openly." Mineta muttered, squinting his eyes at Machibuse, who was conveniently sitting between him and the two girls.

"There is quite a bit of difference between the girls placing an alarm and they actually sicking Machibuse on you. Not that you have any say on the matter, but one of these will at least give you a chance to escape." Shoji pointed out.

Mineta just groaned.

"Regardless of that… do you guys really need to do this in my room?" Tokoyami shifted in the throne-like chair in the far corner of the room, clearly very much bothered by the intruders.

"Well, it's the only room that's always completely dark in the middle of the day. Also the skulls really add to the spooky atmosphere." Ashido grinned deviously.

"I didn't decorate my room so you guys could use it for your entertainment." Tokoyami pointed out.

"So this is the reason why you insisted that I joined this circle? To act as a deterrent?" Machibuse turned towards Ashido, still relatively mild about the entire horror schtick as the group mostly ignored Tokoyami's brooding.

"Not totally! I bet you have some amazing scare stories you heard back in Okinawa!" Ashido ushered the military head of the group to tell a tale.

"Yeah! Hit us up with something you heard in a boot camp or something! Those freaky stories to send the recruits running back home!" Sero hyped the idea up.

"Contrary to popular belief, soldiers are discouraged about engaging in this kind of activity while in the field. One soldier on edge poses a threat to his or hers entire platoon. Scared people tend to be trigger-happy and are more likely to reveal a camp's position." Machibuse explained in a monotone voice.

"Oh, come on!" Kaminari protested.

"And besides… I firmly believe that reality is much scarier than any story." Machibuse added with a small pause.

"Do tell." Shoji now sounded curious as well.

"Very well then. What I am about to tell you guys is a field report issued by my godfather I happened to overhear when I was about ten years old… Take what you hear with a grain of salt." Machibuse began, now drawing the attention of his friends, including Tokoyami.

"Your godfather?" Mineta asked.

"Former second-in-command of Squad Six of the Japanese Special Ops, Haritomo Junshou." Machibuse responded, his voice remaining as neutral as possible.

"Wait… you are going to talk about something that actually happened? Holy shit…" Sero adjusted his legs as he approached.

Machibuse just nodded before taking a deep breath.

"There is a place about two-hundred kilometers southeast from the main island of Okinawa: we call it "Musubishima", or the Knot Islands. It's a small atoll that barely rises above six meters off the sea level, with only a single structure built upon it… an old marine life observatory that was never put to real use because access to the atoll was made highly restricted due to safety concerns." Machibuse explained, trying to remember the details about the place.

"… And why is that?" Sero asked with a mix of curiosity and reluctance.

"And by whom?" Tokoyami also posed a question, now somewhat invested in the event taking place inside his room.

"The Ministry of Defense decreed an exclusion zone around the atoll shortly after the end of World War II. Musubishima was the stage for a rather chaotic battle, and it left the area with landmines that were never dug up, numbering in the hundreds per square kilometer. Musubishima is possibly the densest minefield in the pacific, to the point that even the navy avoids the shore because of how the tide sometimes drags explosives into the open water. A submerged landmine eventually ceases working, but it is better not to risk it." Machibuse responded both.

"There had been reports of unauthorized people in Musubishima: The first three reports came from three distinct patrol ships that made the route from the Camp Courtney naval base in Uruma to the Daito Islands, stating that they had seen light coming from the observatory. All of these reports came in around twenty days of each other, but no ships were seen arriving even close to the exclusion zone. The final report came from a scout team sent to verify those claims; and after watching the atoll for about a month they confirmed that indeed there was someone inside the observatory. Bravo Six was sent to investigate not too long after that, as his Quirk gave him the tools necessary to hover over the ground, nullifying the risk presented by the landmines. And while he never came in contact with any intruders, he did indeed find something rather… unsettling and managed to bring it back: he arrived back after a month in the atoll, with a pair of shoes he had found hanging by the observatory's window. Small shoes, a child's. Wet as if someone had tried to just wash them before leaving to dry by the sun." Machibuse told, his strict, report-like tone detracting a little from the experience.

Mineta gulped loudly, and the others got visibly tense after the shoes were mentioned.

"I don't know the precise details of the report, I just happened to be in the room when Bravo Six reported back to my mother, to the hag and to Tamani, who was then the second-in-command of the Ministry of Defense. I remember him saying that whoever washed those shoes did a terrible job. They were caked in blood up to the toecaps, almost as if that child had been running around in a puddle." Machibuse added, now doing his best to imitate how Sero told his story.

"What the hell…" Kaminari muttered.

"Examination identified that it was human blood. But the inside of the observatory was clear… except for one detail." the storyteller continued, eerily leaning closer to the scented candle.

People braced.

"Bloodied footprints, the child's and… someone else's. It had chased after the child, and after catching up to it, there was only the trail leading from the sink to the window where the shoes had been found. And when Bravo Six returned to Musubishima a few days later, the floor had been scrubbed clean." Machibuse finished, now allowing himself to take a deep breath.

His friends were quiet for an instant.

"Please say that you were kidding when you said this is a real thing…" Ashido tugged nervously on her sleeve.

"As far as I am aware, the shoes are still locked in a vault in my grandmother's house." Machibuse informed, not really helping his friends to feel any better.

"Why she even keeps such a thing!?" Mineta backed away.

"The Witch of Okinawa does not believe in ghosts… As far as she is concerned, this is simply transgression of restricted military space and she keeps the shoes as evidence in case there is need to press charges." Machibuse did his best to not sigh.

"I honestly can see her doing that." Asui admitted, breaking the immersion a little.

"Riiight… who's next?" Sero pushed forth, trying the shake the feeling creeping up the back of his neck.

"Oh right, let's have Tokoyami tell one too! He definitely has the kind of voice for ghost stories!" Ashido perked up again.

"True, true… His usual tone of voice is already spooky and dark." Kaminari mused.

"Just what do you mean by that?" Tokoyami responded, sounding disgruntled.

"Tokoyami… you don't have to tell something super scary. Just a _little_ scary is fine too, you know…" Mineta whispered.

The bird-headed teen shifted uncomfortably in his chair; gleaming eyes filled with anticipation.

Tokoyami cleared his throat and began speaking.

"I don't know if this will be terrifying enough for you guys, but here's a story my grandfather told me when I was a child… A long, long time ago, the young people of a village began a game of hyakumonogatari…"

-.

 **October 5th** **, Tokyo,** **In Transit Towards** **U.A. Highschool, 2015.**

Hakuba was barely feeling the few bruises as he watched the road through the tinted window of the car he was in. He had left for Tartarus around two hours ago alongside Tamani, and now as being taken back to school by one of the prison's employees. His mind was somewhere else.

Pride.

Luckily today's trip to Tartarus hadn't been as rough as the previous; that latest discovery got the Hero Killer more invested into exploring this new possibility than just beating Hakuba around. Sure, there was still a beating involved in the process, but that was mostly to force the teen into focusing just a bit harder. He worked better under pressure.

The theory was that Hakuba power to detect and identify chemical structures peaked when he pushed himself to the limit. The feeling was like how he managed to taste compounds in samples of blood, which made a lot of sense given how both taste and smell were linked.

Hakuba had always felt that his nose was quite a bit more keen than other people's, but it never happened to him to be pushed in such a way that his only resort was to track someone by the scent of his own blood. All the right factors happened to be brought together for him to awaken that way; the rush of battle, the blindness, the quietude of his enemy, the still air of the enclosed courtyard… everything just fell into place at the most crucial moment.

Sure, it wasn't near as good of a wide area scan as Koda's, wasn't nearly as versatile as Shoji's and it lacked the instant pin-point accuracy of Jiro's… Hell, chemical-based detection was likely the most inefficient kind possible.

But it was _his_ power.

It was like a whole new world of possibilities had sprouted from the ground. And that made Hakuba so much more eager; now his efforts weren't just so that he wouldn't be a menace to those around him, it was truly growth. More than ever he felt determined in conquering his darker side.

Hakuba wouldn't be going back to Tartarus for a few days now, Tamani had a few meetings he had to attend to and Hakuba wasn't allowed to be there without him being around. That and Tamani apparently had a date this weekend… well, leave it to Ashido to sort people's affairs for them.

But that didn't meant training would stop. Second stop after reaching U.A. would be at Hound Dog's office to seek the man's help with training his sense of smell. First one would be Recovery Girl's since Hakuba currently had another black eye.

Hakuba would sleep at ease tonight…

-.

 **October 6th** **,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 0340.**

"What the fuck is this beeping?" Hakuba groaned as he got up from under the covers. Being a light sleeper was hard sometimes.

He took a deep breath and walked up to the door of his room, eyes still half-closed and only in his pants.

Then there was a muffled shriek coming from the floors below.

He was fully awake in an instant and was now rushing outside.

Sero was also just pulling his door open.

"You heard that?" Machibuse asked, now making a brief stop.

"Yeah, I did!" Sero responded in a concerned tone.

Both rushed towards the stairs.

Then the beeping stopped.

Nothing.

"Okay… the hell just happened?" Sero asked, now pressing his face against the glass wall of the corridor, trying to see if there was anything happening all the way down there by the courtyard.

Machibuse was still on high alert.

"Whatever it is, it is gone. At least for now." he offered as he made his way to the floor below.

Shoji was also outside his room.

"Find anything?" Machibuse called, noticing how his friend was scanning the area with his Quirk.

"It's gone quiet somewhere in the ground floor. It was Mineta's voice." Shoji informed turning his attention towards the stairs down.

The two made it down to the second floor, and Sero soon joined them.

Whatever happened there it caused Mineta to barricade his own door, he scared to the point of nearly passing out but otherwise fine.

There was nothing unusual in the common area.

Nothing happened by the time the boys returned to their respective rooms, but that didn't mean they had an easy time getting back to sleep.

About an hour further into that restless night the beeping began once more.

Something was terribly wrong.

-.

 **October 6th** **,** **U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 0845.**

It wasn't just the four; Tsuyu, Ashido, Kaminari, and Tokoyami all heard the same sound. The group was currently discussing by the front row of the class, trying to come up with an explanation for the strange beeping sound they all heard last night.

"Only we heard the voices though… maybe Tokoyami's story cursed us?" Sero tried to joke, but his smile was clearly not holding up.

"Don't even joke about these things, man!" Kaminari was exasperated.

"It is a possibility we should not discard. Tokoyami-san, did anything similar happened when you first heard that tale?" Machibuse turned towards the one person he assumed would know anything about the occult, his own knowledge coming from horror movies made it very unreliable.

"Not that I am aware." Tokoyami crossed his arms.

"But why was I the only one called by name!? Midoriya, please tell me you also heard it!" Mineta panicked, now calling the green head who slept in the room next to his.

"Sorry… Training got me pretty tired yesterday, I just slept through whatever you guys heard." Midoriya tried to calm his diminutive neighbor but accomplished only the opposite.

"Eh? What kind of story?" Kirishima wedged himself into the conversation, now really curious about this entire curse thing that was apparently taking place.

Kaminari barely opened his mouth to speak when Bakugou suddenly got to his feet.

"So fucking loud! Stop staying acting as children and saying these things around other people!" he clattered, now storming angrily towards the outside of the classroom.

Was he scared of this curse?

"Umm, actually I heard it too. A weird beeping that went on and off until dawn." Jiro timidly joined the group. She always lacked courage when it came down to this type of stuff, but now that the sound specialist of Class 1-A gave her testimony it only made the rest of the class more nervous.

"This means that, if we are indeed dealing with a curse, we were not the only ones caught by it. Perhaps it was the building itself that has been hexed. We should seek means to fend off any potential threats." Machibuse suggested in an analytical tone.

"A circle of salt could buy us some time. But there is still the matter of the exorcism proper… I doubt we could fight a ghost or poltergeist with only our Quirks." Tokoyami nodded.

"Regardless of what is happening, it is certain that there is something to these claims given the number of witnesses. Please allow your class president to take the responsibility for figuring this mystery out and let us set this problem aside for now!" Iida joined in, motioning for his classmates to get to their seats; class was due to start soon.

-.

 **October 7th** **,** **U.A. Main Building, Class 1-A, 0930.**

"…All that because of some noise? Really?" Aisawa sounded unconvinced by the excuse given to him as to why the students weren't paying attention to his lecture.

The sky outside was dull and gray. There was a storm brewing up, the trees swayed in the winds.

And the mood inside Class 1-A mirrored the weather; none of the students managed to sleep. All of them had heard the beeping that night and something had knocked on Mineta's door. Pretty much all of them were suffering from the effects of sleep deprivation, the only exception being Machibuse who admittedly jacked himself up with his Quirk to stay awake and functional. He had an unsettling twitch on his right eye since breakfast.

"Do you guys really believe in something as irrational as that supposed curse?" Aisawa rolled his eyes, visibly annoyed.

"We may not fully believe in it, Aisawa-sensei… But after what happened last night, we are running out of explanations." Yaoyorozu responded reluctantly. She had been the only one of the girls to rest at least a little, given how her boyfriend insisted on guarding the door of her room.

The other girls would be spending the night in her room tonight if things didn't calm down, but Momo couldn't help but worry about Hakuba only taking short naps every few hours and drugging himself to ensure her well-being.

"Sensei! Regardless of what is taking place at our dorms, the matter places at risk our academic performance! I hereby suggest that we investigate it with utmost urgency!" Iida shot his hand up.

"Academic performance!? This damn curse is coming for me every night! I'll be the first one to die here!" Mineta cried out in despair.

"Wait, so what if the curse is going after the eight that were in Tokoyami's room? Who's going to be next?" Jiro turned around worried.

"Don't even joke about that!" Kaminari and Sero shot up to their feet.

"It's really a curse, isn't it…" Ojiro meekly accepted their fate, burring his face in his hands.

"Now that I think about it, this is not the first time I hear about a curse here in the school. One of the Seven Mysteries of U.A… a bitter soul of a U.A. graduate that couldn't become a pro-hero and now wanders around the forest surrounding the new school dorms. And if you see it, you'll be cursed forever…" Aisawa pondered loudly, still trying to see the logic behind what was happening.

Unfortunately him thinking out loud caused the class to fall into panic, now sure that the ghost had come to haunt their sleeping quarters.

"For fuck's sake… Alright. If you guys are so scared of this "curse" then I will stop by tonight to investigate. Just behave yourselves." Aisawa groaned, covering his eyes with one hand.

"Sensei!" the students cheered on.

"It's just the rational approach. There is going to be a storm tonight, so be sure to be in your rooms when I show up for rollcall." Aisawa concluded, now trying to get back into his lecture.

Machibuse couldn't help but think that this was how people died in his movies…

-.

 **October 7th** **,** **U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 2125.**

Momo shifted her body slightly, it was past time for her to leave for her room for the scheduled rollcall.

But it was pretty hard for her to do so.

Hakuba took a long, deep breath and snuggled lightly onto her bosom. Momo was well aware that she was his favorite pillow.

It's been a really long time since she last saw her boyfriend this tired; whatever he had been doing over the last few nights at Tartarus and this entire curse predicament had surely taken a toll on him. Come to think of it, this situation reminded her a bit of his breakdown prior to the Sports Festival.

She had asked for someone else to take care of dinner tonight and pretty much dragged him to his room. Hakuba needed at least some proper rest.

Momo reached for her cellphone, she was waiting for someone to send a message about the rollcall so she could go back to her room.

Nothing still. Weird, their homeroom teacher was already late. … perhaps Aisawa had gotten trapped by the rain?

She looked down; at least this delay gave her a little more time to care for Hakuba. Placing the cellphone down, she warped both arms around his shoulders to hold him close.

Momo closed her eyes for a minute.

She would be the one to fall asleep like this… would it be so bad? It was at times like this that the dorms system U.A. had implemented got to her, cursed or not.

Then her cellphone buzzed lightly.

Unfortunately…

Then it buzzed again.

And again.

"Did something happen? …It is time for rollcall already?" Hakuba grumbled in a coarse voice as his own cellphone began buzzing as well. He had left the device on his desk on the other side of the room and now was clearly pondering whether or not to get up to reach for it. He really didn't feel like moving from his spot.

Stupid curse, messing with his life…

"Let me check…" Momo responded with slight concern, one arm still tightly around him as she reached for her cellphone with the other.

It was then that Hakuba decided to just take the chance, he had the feeling that whatever this stream of messages was, it was going to ruin the mood.

He pushed himself up, shaking the sleep out.

And interrupted whatever Momo was doing with kiss.

"H-hey!" Momo complained as he pulled back, that had gotten her by surprise. There was a brief moment of silence… then she pulled him back for another. With how crazy things had been since they got back together, having a little moment like this proved to be surprisingly difficult… in their heads it was easily justifiable to enjoy a minute or five like that.

Both phones still buzzed, and Momo and Hakuba continued to make out for a moment as they tried to ignore the noise. Slowly but steadily, Momo sneaked her hand under his shirt and took to feeling Hakuba up; he wasn't the only one to get handsy when they got going.

Now someone rapidly knocked on the door, causing the two to pull apart and groan. There were at least three voices coming from outside: Ashido, Midoriya and Uraraka.

And they sounded like they were in a hurry.

"Why do we have to be part of the responsible ones?" Hakuba complained as he got up to answer, but now he was sure something had happened.

Momo just gave a chuckle as she fixed her hair. Back to the real world now.

"Thank goddess you two are fine…" Uraraka gave a relaxed sigh as Machibuse opened the door with Yaoyorozu right behind him.

"Sorry for not answeri…" Yaoyorozu offered, their friends looked really worried.

"THE GHOST GOT AISAWA-SENSEI!" Ashido shouted in panic.

The two just tensed up, and next thing they knew was that they were rushing down the stairs.

Then a massive bolt of lightning streaked in the clouds above.

The dorms became shrouded in darkness.

This prompted Machibuse to do a complete one-eighty.

"You four group up with the others! I need to get something in my room!" he shouted before running up the stairs.

By the time Machibuse joined his classmates in the common area it was already complete chaos.

Aisawa was out cold in the ground.

Tokoyami was crouched low, holding tight for his control over Dark Shadow.

He even spotted Koda's pet rabbit running around for some reason.

"What is the situation!?" Machibuse asked as he went towards the sound of his girlfriend's voice. Something had her very scared.

"Something brushed against my leg!" Yaoyorozu responded as she looked around in the dark, instinctively stepping closer. Her hand bumped against something he was carrying.

"I felt it too!" Uraraka followed.

"I'M GOING TO DIE!" Mineta wailed a poor explanation.

"There was something around the corner you came through! It was the ghost!" Kaminari was losing it.

"Machibuse-san! Why did you run back to your room? Do you have a plan!?" Midoriya asked as he heard the familiar voice somewhere in the dark.

"Not much of a plan, but it is the best I could think of." Machibuse responded with tangible concern in his otherwise strict tone, a metallic clang accompanying his response.

Another bolt of lightning.

All the students now managed to catch a glimpse of Machibuse holding the Hero Killer's sword by the scabbard, his other hand hovering close to the handle in case he needed to draw the weapon.

"Machibuse-kun! Why are you armed with that thing!?" Iida protested.

"It is the only weapon we have that is cursed enough to possibly strike down this ghost." Machibuse explained as he stepped in front of the group. His swordplay wasn't the best, but it would need to make do.

"I have no qualms about using it if it is to ensure the group's safety. I hope you understand." he added, sounding clearly unease.

It was a standstill.

More lightning.

And then came the beeping.

"It's coming from our bathroom!" Jiro shuddered.

Machibuse dashed forward, the sound of the wooden scabbard hitting the floor signaling that he had unsheathed the cursed blade.

The sudden sounds of battle coming from the front door caused him to clench his teeth. Were there multiple ghosts haunting the dorms?

He was about to turn back and join that battle, when a small red dot appeared all the way back of the corridor, up against the wall of what he knew was the girl's bathroom.

It was standing still.

The time to strike was now.

Machibuse rushed towards his target, it seemed to not have noticed him.

He gripped the sword with both hands, rising it quickly.

The lights turned back on.

The blade stopped, mere inches from connecting.

It was a small device, a black metallic case of some sorts… it even had Hatsume's brand etched on it.

" _Charging… twenty-three per cent…"_ the device spoke in a low, female robotic voice.

"What the fuck…" Machibuse muttered as he reluctantly poked the thing with the tip of his sword.

Then the case opened, his fiddling seemed to have started the thing.

" _Initializing sweep protocol…"_ the machine said in response to that touch.

A small hatch opened, and a tiny, black camera drone came flying from it.

"This is the ghost?" Machibuse asked himself incredulously, now following behind it.

Almost as if responding just to make fun of him, the drone beeped as it slowly moved towards the boy's side of the dorms, passing by the crowd of students that now watched Aisawa carrying an unconscious Present Mic inside their dorms, the English teacher had the unfortunate luck to open the front door and be mistaken for a ghost. The drone immediately stopped above Mineta once it had spotted the pervert it was built to keep tabs on.

From that night onwards Class 1-A was strictly prohibited from telling horror stories… Turns out that the military was right to dissuade soldiers from engaging in this practice.

…

..

.

 _ **AN: So for those of you who had been asking about how Hakuba would improve his Quirk, there it is. We are going to explore it more in the following chapters, so don't worry about that.**_

 _ **Been a while since I did one of these, so here we have the good old character profile thing for the Minister:**_

-. **  
Name:** Tamani Susumu (たまに 進)

 **Birthday:** April 1st

 **Age:** 34

 **Height:** 202cm (6'6'')

 **Blood Type:** O+

 **Birthplace:** Kagoshima Prefecture

 **Quirk Type:** Emitter

 **Quirk Name:** Lag

 **Short Quirk Description:** Causes people within a limited radius around the user to be unable to see the user's movements for a short period of time, seeing only a still image that acts as a decoy.

 **Likes:** Sweet potatoes, cigars, messing with people.

 **Dislikes:** His luck with women, "the protocol", mushrooms.

-.

 _ **As usual the name follows Horikoshi's naming scheme, "Tamani" literally translates to "Infrequent" or "Irregular", which is both a reference to his Quirk, Lag, which causes irregularities in people's perceptions, and his unfitting behavior for his position. "Susumu" is a common name that means "Progress" or "To move forward". The entire thing together is a play on the fact that images on a lagging computer move in irregular intervals.**_

 _ **As always, he shares his birthday with a One Piece character, in this case no other than Ussop himself. I mean, it's April Fools… and the first mention of him was on chapter 26, where Hakuba explained that someone taught him how to lie.**_

 _ **Also, I got one more of those questions you guys ask from time to time: "Why is this story named "Protocol I"?"  
The answer is simply because I am lazy and stupid. I originally intended on splitting this story according to the seasons of the anime but ended up not doing it… and I forgot to remove that "I" from the title. The titles were planned to be "Protocol I: Machibuse Hakuba", "Protocol II: White Rider", "Protocol III: Truth" and "Protocol IV: Child in the Wreckage". Haven't though about the titles beyond those.**_


End file.
